How ironic that the most recent review (2011?!?) is ALSO for "Twelfth Night." Too bad this one is…read moredifferent. ASP's Twelfth Night 2019: Like a very, very good... college production. It gives me no pleasure to write this review--it's not meant for playgoers but for ASP directors. This was only the second play I've ever walked out on (the other was some horrendous staged reading of The Tempest); we left Twelfth Night not because it was *bad* (it wasn't), but because it was BORING. The last ASP we attended was The Tempest (2017?)--so boring, so static that we swore off ASP. Mind you, the lines were beautifully and energetically delivered, but A C T are the first the letters of ACTION. "They don't remember what you SAID, they remember what you DID." Too bad my teens saw Teller's A.R.T. Tempest--but it's not just Vegas glitz that beats the boring. Anyone remember ArtsEmerson's Twelfth Night (2016)? Super duper! My children STILL talk about it (and lemme tell you, teens know how to compare and complain). Stage 2's Romeo and Juliet? AMAZING action: I formed a bro-crush on Mercutio. The Underlings R&J? Electric DESPITE the "original pronunciation" (I was moved to $end a donation). The last ASP production I enjoyed was As You Like It (I still remember the bicycle in the woods scene: "...what they DID"), and that was... YEARS ago. ASP? Forgettable. I'd rather see some creative, if flawed, undergrad productions or stick with starveling players (bye bye, Underlings)--and apply my dollars, both ticket and charitable, elsewhere. So, if forgettable then... forget it. Credit where credit...: Toby Belch was entertaining, but mostly served to highlight the others' lackadaisicality. Oh, and Maria: she was good, but it felt like she was held back by direction, a standout in bondage or some such

The ASP is, without a doubt, my favorite theater company. I love Shakespeare as it is, and the ASP…read morealways manages to come up with an interesting interpretation based on realistic motivations for the characters without delving too far into the realm of "weird" theater. They have really changed the way I look at many of Shakespeare's plays. I never really liked Love's Labours Lost until I saw their production that strategically used multiple-casting to draw out the farce. Their production of Merchant of Venice had such a powerful emotional output that Shylock seemed painfully human instead of a monstrous caricature. The way they focused on the play-within-a-play aspect of Taming of the Shrew, which most neglect, added another dimension of motivation to all the characters and made a traditional problem play make perfect sense. The ASP is the only theater group I buy season tickets for, and I always look forward to their new shows.

Hands down, the Concord Players have put on the BEST community theater shows I have ever seen…read more While they only put on a few shows every season, they are always fantastic. You will forget that you're at a community theater. This year, they are in their 92nd season. The players perform at 51 Walden, a performing arts center shared by the Concord Players, Concord Band, and Concord Orchestra. Last year I saw The Scarlett Pimpernel, and this year I saw Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Both very funny musicals, of course. I'm always impressed with what this group is able to pull off in terms of the set and scene changes. In both shows, there was a very dynamic set, with moving and changing parts. Very cool. Actors are great. It was a pleasure to see some of the same faces in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels that were in The Scarlett Pimpernel. See a show here! You won't be disappointed!

The Players' production of Noises Off was hilarious - wonderful entertainment by a very talented…read morecast. They mastered the physical comedy and comedic timing to a T, keeping the audience in stitches most of the evening. I cannot imagine a better performance, and the audience reaction suggests others thought the same. We will be going back for more!

Best ballet teachers for adult open program and best piano accompanists in whole Massachusetts…read moremetro Boston area. Except Tuesday's morning one, I lIke all classes on both morning and evening. I wish they open Sunday class one day.

Although I've lived in the Cambridge area for almost 4 years, this was my first time at the local…read moreballet. Located inside the church, I have definitely walked by many times but never thought to come. I managed to snag tickets from a friend. My beau and I had stool seats, meaning that we were on tall chairs in the back. Some of the chairs were wobbly / broken so beware! There is a cash bar as well. Wine is $10, beer is $5, and bottles water is $2--we opted to skip refreshments. Overall, it was perfectly fine for the date. The crowd is what you would expect for a ballet: middle aged white people. One note for the college students thinking about coming, don't forget that ballets are not shorts+t-shirt places! The show itself was great. The theme was Suspicious Spaces. The stage and costumes were simple but the performers brought great athleticism and grace. There were two intermissions in the show. The show started 15 minutes late as well.

I have had classes here and been to performances. Overall its pretty nice. The auditorium has good…read moreacoustics and watching movies on the projector is awesome.

"You can dance, you can jive Having the time of your life…read moreOoh, see that girl, watch that scene Diggin' the dancing queen" (Abba) Having raised two boys, we were never exposed to the world of girls' dance recitals until one of our boys grew to have a family of his own. That allowed us to enter the dance recital universe to see our granddaughter on stage and witness her excitement over being a part of Momentum's world. It's quite an impressive world encompassing little 4-year-old munchkins that toddle around the stage on up to Senior Girls who dance and jump around like the Rockettes. At yesterday's 4th Annual Dance Recital at Natick High School, we saw (predominantly, but not entirely) girls in that age range take the stage to perform jazz, ballet, hip-hop, tumbling, interpretive, lyrical, Acro, and tap routines. The groups ran the gamut from open classes through competitive performance based elite teams. Momentum's organization of this massive event involving hundreds of performers, hours of logistics, scripting out power-point slides and music for each routine, moving in gym mats and props, and enough routines and staff to take up a 73-page program was very impressive. I really enjoyed watching the teeny-tiny little girls doing their routines. Talk about sweet cuteness overload! Some of them danced, some swayed from side to side, and some just stood there stock still. There was an instructor in the wings of the stage doing the routines for them to look at, sort of like a human teleprompter showing motions instead of words. The looks of utter joy and pride on their faces were lovely to behold. We thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Momentum gave me back my love for dance and grew my passion. I hesitated to switch studios about…read moretwo years ago because I wasn't sure if I wanted to change things, but I'm so glad I did. The coaching is excellent, and you can see that all the teachers genuinely want to be there and are passionate about dance and teaching. They are also very good at allowing dancers to express themselves and their feelings. The studio brings in a variety of choreographers and tries different styles to keep us well-rounded as dancers and open-minded about dance. I appreciate how we have open conversations as a team to address any issues and maintain a family vibe. I also feel like they really listen to us, and if something isn't working, we try something else. Overall, I highly recommend the studio; it has truly changed my life for the better.

Yes, yes, and yes ... If you have kids and they are interested in theater, you need to bring them…read morehere. They are lovely here and I have not had a bad experience even when we had a bad situation arise with my daughter's first production. I love that they are instilling the love of theater into these kids. They also discuss the process of a production and the characterthe child is portraying even when it is a small, non-speaking roll, They utilize all of the children that try out and it works wonderfully. We have thus far only been able to do the musicals but one day the stars will align in our schedules and we will get to do a black box production. My favorite production so far has been "The Pirates of Penzance".

Got kids? This is a great program. Spectacularly-run and lots of fun for serious actors, plus they…read morerun vacation camps with arts themes for those of us who can't just stay home all day with our kids because we, you know, have jobs... Wonderful counselors. Really beautiful facilities in the New Repertory Theatre building. Even if you don't have kids, check out a show sometime and support the arts!

I can't speak to the kids dance classes because I am neither a kid, nor do I have one. A quick…read morelook at the schedule, however, will tell you that this studio is the real deal for dancers, offering an endless variety of styles and even a strict dress code for the ballerina/os to show you they mean pink-tights-only business. But my relationship with Gervais comes with one loaded, trendy, hear it now and scream it later word: ZUMBA! Zumba with Judy is your ticket to a wonderful time at Gervais. Twice a week, the long, one room studio fills with something like 20 local women, all ages, all sizes, all smiles. In one hour, your pores will surrender more sweat than you thought a body could produce in below-freezing weather. Share a conspiratorial grin with your fellow salsa warriors as you stuff yourself back into that winter hat and gloves on your way to the parking lot. The day is made.

We saw Ada and the Engine on Friday. First time ever being at the Burlington players…read more The show itself was lovely. The performance space is unconventional and definitely poses challenges with such a low ceiling, and the shape of the room. They put on a good show though. They found some good solutions for Ada and the engine. Tickets can be bought on their website or at the box office. They have a lobby and sell chips, chocolate, drinks and popcorn before and during intermission. Definitely worth checking out But if it's wet, don't wear nice shoes - the walkway to the entrance was a bit muddier than I would have wanted to walk through.