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Boston Globe
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
She went from being a scientist to taking the stage. Now she's starring in ‘Hello, Dolly!'
Parent, a celebrated Boston actor and director who also leads the Front Porch Arts Collective, recalls how Doherty captured her character's improvisational personality during her audition, in a scene that unfolds at Dolly's beloved Harmonia Gardens restaurant, where she hasn't been since the death of her husband. With his assistant director Thomas W. Grant (below), director Maurice Emmanuel Parent keeps an eye on rehearsal of "Hello, Dolly!" at the Lyric Stage Boston. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Advertisement 'Every time she did the scene, it was slightly different, and she was playing with different things. I was like, 'That's what Dolly needs to feel like. She's a woman who has a clear end goal, but she's figuring out things in the moment.'' At one point, Parent says, Doherty approached the audition table where Parent and Lyric co-artistic director Courtney O'Connor were sitting and whispered to them with a conspiratorial air, ''Hey, are you two together?' I said 'no,' and she rips off a piece of her [script excerpt] with her number on it, hands it to us and says, 'Call me.' Then she walks away and did the rest of the scene. She was already in character, already matchmaking!' That sealed the deal for Parent. He knew he had found his Dolly. 'I think an actor who makes bold choices informs a director in their choices,' he says. 'And her choice really informed how I'm structuring the piece. There is no fourth wall. So at any moment, it should feel like Dolly could say to an audience member, 'Hey, I have this wonderful person for you. Here's my card.'' Indeed, Parent is leaning on the Lyric's thrust stage setup and playing into the intimacy that can foster. The theater's four aisles and two tunnels will be utilized to full effect with the 16 performers. When Doherty decided to audition for the show, featuring music and lyrics by the legendary Jerry Herman and book by Michael Stewart, she wasn't sure if she was ready to play Dolly yet, but Parent said to show them what she had. Advertisement 'So I went in there and had fun and just aimed for the fences, and it was freeing because I didn't expect that I had much of a shot at it. Those auditions where you can keep the pressure off are usually the ones where you're the most playful, the most loose, and the most free to be yourself.' While Doherty has won two Elliot Norton Awards for her performances in 'On the Town' and 'Into the Woods' and been nominated for several others, her work has hit new heights in recent years. She cites playing 'I gave myself permission to not always be nice and likable. I wanted people to like me all the time, but with [Sally], I just decided that, yeah, she's selfish and childish at times, and people can be that way, and I need to just show it and not worry about alienating the audience. I've got to just trust that they will not give up on her and will still root for her.' Choreographer Ilyse Robbins at rehearsal for "Hello, Dolly!" Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff With Dolly, there's little chance that the audience won't be rooting for and charmed by the people-pleaser from the minute she sashays onstage. She'll also break your heart. In the show, set in 1890s New York City, Dolly is a matchmaker with several other side gigs and chutzpah to spare. She's been mired in grief, her life frozen after the death of her husband Ephraim years before. Her latest job is to find a wife for grumpy Horace Vandergelder (Joshua Wolf Coleman), a wealthy-but-miserly merchant in Yonkers. But on this day, Dolly has an awakening and decides that she finally has to get off the sidelines of life and join the parade before it passes her by — and schemes to marry Horace herself. Advertisement 'She's always rearranging other people's lives, but what first struck me is how much [Dolly] is stuck herself,' Doherty says. 'She needs to live her life now. She needs to let go of grief and move on and forgive herself for doing that.' Several stories of young love intersect with Dolly's. Horace's wide-eyed shop workers Cornelius (Michael Jennings Mahoney) and Barnaby (Max Connor) head to New York and fall for plucky hat shop proprietor Irene Molloy (Kristian Espiritu) and her assistant, Minnie Fay (Temma Beaudreau). Then there's Horace's overprotected niece Ermengarde (Sophie Shaw) and the young artist, Ambrose (Stephen Caliskan), who she yearns to marry against her uncle's wishes. A "Hello, Dolly!" rehearsal last week at Lyric Stage Boston. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Similar to some of her previous roles, Dolly is what Doherty dubs a 'boss babe.' 'She's very smart, and she's working within the constraints on women's roles at that time and using whatever she's got,' Doherty says. 'And I always gravitate towards those [characters] who are loud and opinionated and a little sexy and unabashedly themselves, but they're working against the system that doesn't believe a lady is supposed to be a business owner or a mover and shaker.' Doherty can relate to Dolly making a leap of faith to transform her life. Growing up in Walpole and Bellingham, Doherty took tap, jazz, and ballet as a kid and did her high school's production of 'Grease,' but never considered studying acting or becoming a performer. After carving out a successful career as an environmental scientist, helping to clean up oil spills and hazardous waste sites, she began doing community theater on the side. Advertisement Aimee Doherty, as Dolly Levi, is lifted by cast members during a dance number. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Then in 2004, she landed a part in a SpeakEasy production of Sondheim's 'Company' — and never looked back. She started acting all around town. A few years later, when she got laid off from her job, she made a permanent transition. 'It was just a happy accident. I don't know that I would've ever had the courage to walk away from a career that I had for 15 years to say, 'I'm just going to dedicate my time and my heart to acting full time.' Parent says that Dolly's vow to 'rejoin the human race' and re-engage with life in a new and hopeful way is an inspiring message that reminds audiences, 'Even when we're down and out, you're still alive and you still have an opportunity to live your dreams and your life to the fullest.' HELLO, DOLLY! Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, book by Michael Stewart. At: The Lyric Stage Company, May 16-June 22. Tickets from $25 ; 617-585-5678;
New York Post
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Back on Broadway, Bernadette Peters misses her friend Stephen Sondheim: ‘I've had dreams about him'
Not a day goes by that Bernadette Peters doesn't miss her old friend Stephen Sondheim. 'I do think of him every day,' she told me over lunch at Cafe Luxembourg. 'I'm singing his music, you know. And I've had dreams about him. He should be here. He should be here.' Peters is back on Broadway this season after seven years away, alongside Lea Salonga and 15 others in a wonderful revue of the late composer's work called 'Old Friends.' 5 Bernadette Peters is back on Broadway in 'Old Friends.' Getty Images Advertisement The audience at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre is especially rapt and weepy whenever the beloved actress takes the stage, because she played such a vital role in bringing these timeless songs to life. Peters, 77, originated some of the great Sondheim parts: the rapping Witch in 1986's 'Into the Woods' and model Dot in 1984's 'Sunday in the Park with George.' Later, the New York native starred in revivals of his 'A Little Night Music' and 'Follies.' But the collaboration — some have called her his 'muse' — all started with the out-there George Seurat musical 'Sunday.' Advertisement 5 The actress originated roles in Sondheim shows such as 'Sunday in the Park with George,' which she recreates in 'Old Friends.' AP 'When I first met him, he made me nervous,' Peters said of Sondheim, who'd already delivered notoriously tricky shows such as 'Sweeney Todd' and 'Company.' 'The first song I got was the first song, 'Sunday in the Park with George,' with all those words. And I was nervous like crazy.' The jitters soon went away, though. 'He was very kind to performers,' she said. Advertisement Peters' favorite memories of Sondheim, who died in 2021, were when he'd come back to her dressing room and give notes. 'I was lucky that the writer was there for me to talk to and ask questions. 'What did you mean when you wrote that?' It's a great gift.' 5 Peters played Dot in 'Sunday' in 1984. Everett Collection / Everett Collection And the experience, which got her and her friend and co-star Mandy Patinkin Tony nominations, proved life-changing. Advertisement 'That show was so remarkable and it opened me up so much that I thought, well, I'll just do any show that [Sondheim and James Lapine] write that comes along. I'll say 'yes,' no matter what. And he called me for 'Into the Woods,' so I went and I did that.' Now, Peters is in 'Old Friends,' which began as a gala put on by producer Cameron Mackintosh in London. Its success led to a four-month run in the West End, before heading to Los Angeles and finally to Broadway. In the show, the actress croons heart-wrenching numbers she's known for, like 'Losing My Mind' and 'Send in the Clowns.' 'As I get older all the lyrics really seem to have a lot more meaning for me,' she said. 5 While Bernadette Peters is known for playing the Witch in 'Into the Woods,' in 'Old Friends' she plays Little Red Riding Hood. Everett Collection / Everett Collection But Peters has also thrown us some Sondheim curveballs. For 'Into the Woods,' the fairytale musical which has evolved into a cherished classic, Peters doesn't sing 'Children Will Listen' as the Witch — she becomes young Little Red Riding Hood instead. Her tune 'I Know Things Now' is about being chased by the Big Bad Wolf. 'I went, 'What have I done?! I'm singing a song a child sings, and now I'm an adult talking about . . . is this like a MeToo movement song?!',' she said. 'So I figured out how to do it.' Advertisement In an, erm, less innocent moment, Peters hilariously takes on Mazeppa, the 'bump it with a trumpet' stripper from 'Gypsy,' in 'You Got To Get A Gimmick.' Actually, the actress plays the brass instrument so well that some of her friends thought the music was piped in. 'So, I've gotta be a little sloppy with it,' she said. 5 In addition to 'Old Friends,' Peters will appear in the new Jesse Eisenberg film and is touring her concert around the world. Matthew Murphy Advertisement Peters has a busy summer ahead. 'Old Friends' runs through June 15. Go see it. Also a film star, having played opposite Steve Martin in 'The Jerk,' she met up with me the same week she did a day of shooting for 'A Real Pain' Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg's upcoming musical-comedy movie for A24, which also features Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti. She's an activist, too. Her long-running animal adoption charity event, Broadway Barks, takes place in Shubert Alley on July 12. And then she packs her bags and tours her concert all around the country before heading to Australia in the fall. Advertisement Peters is the picture of a dependable showbiz workaholic, and arrives at the theater every day almost four hours before curtain. 'I have to practice my trumpet,' she said.
New York Times
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
There's No People Like Show People
When Jenny Anderson was 7, her mother was cast in a local production of 'Annie' in Brookhaven, Miss., near their hometown; Anderson, who had auditioned to be an orphan, was not. But sitting backstage watching her mom rehearse, she discovered a kind of 'magic.' Where an actor's job is to be seen, Anderson, even at 7, loved to look — not just at the razzle-dazzle happening onstage but at the alchemy that happened beyond it, transforming 1990s suburban kids into Depression-era orphans and a Mississippi theater into the streets of New York City. Anderson eventually made her way to New York, where she built a career as a theater photographer. THE IN-BETWEEN (Applause, $45), her first book, collects 16 years of her work behind the Broadway stage. The volume is a celebration of the labor and love that go into making theater — the trial and error of the rehearsal room; the transformative process of layering on costumes, makeup and wigs; the back-alley cigarettes and stairwell quick changes; the frenzied laughter, reflective calm and tears that all pour into a performance, and that turn a bunch of strangers into a momentary family. Though not a performer, Anderson is undeniably a member of that club called show people, and she suffuses each of her photographs with a palpable tenderness. Devotees of Broadway will find many familiar faces here; in the span of a few pages, you can trace Caissie Levy or Gavin Creel from baby-faced hippies in the 2010 'Hair' tribe to confident veterans leading the casts of 'Frozen' (2019) and 'Into the Woods' (2022). This is a book, in many ways, about becoming: a twisted mother, an underdog boxer, the goddess of the underworld, a bona fide Broadway star. They say magicians should never reveal their secrets. But in exposing the inner workings of so many showstopping performances, Anderson pulls us all under the theater's spell — holding our breaths as we race toward that moment when the room is hushed and everything is possible, just before the curtain goes up.
New York Times
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Bernadette Peters Loves a Day Out in New York
Growing up in Queens, Bernadette Peters was enraptured by trips into Manhattan to see the dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History. 'There's something special about revisiting them as an adult, with fresh eyes,' said Peters, 77, a two-time Tony-winning actress who originated the roles of the Witch in 'Into the Woods' and Dot in 'Sunday in the Park With George.' She's doing much the same thing in her latest turn on Broadway — her first in nearly seven years — in 'Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends,' a concert-style revue of songs by the acclaimed composer and lyricist who died in 2021, in which she stars opposite Lea Salonga. Though Peters has played a number of the featured roles, her song choices are surprising — singing 'I Know Things Now' as Little Red Riding Hood, for instance, in the 'Into the Woods' segment. 'I like a challenge,' said Peters, who put her stamp on half a dozen Sondheim characters, including Momma Rose in 'Gypsy,' Desirée Armfeldt in 'A Little Night Music' and Sally Durant Plummer in 'Follies.' In a phone interview last month from Los Angeles, where 'Old Friends' was wrapping up a pre-Broadway run, Peters, who was anxious to get back to home to New York City and her rescue dogs Charlie and Rosalie, shared 10 of her Big Apple-inspired cultural essentials. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Chicago Tribune
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
At the Non-Equity Jeff Awards, Kokandy's ‘Into the Woods' is the big winner
The winners have been announced for the 51st annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards, with Kokandy Productions taking home five awards for 'Into the Woods.' Its production of the Sondheim musical in late 2024 won several big categories, including for best musical, ensemble, director and music direction, as well as for artistic specialization for orchestrations. Another leading winner was City Lit Theater, which won best play for 'August Wilson's Seven Guitars.' In the cast, Robert Howard was honored as best performer in a supporting role. (The Jeff Awards do not separate acting categories by gender.) City Lit also won a third award for costume design for 'Murder in the Cathedral.' Refracted Theatre also won three. In the play category, the coveted ensemble award went to TUTA Theatre for 'Attempts on Her Life.' Lead performance awards for a play went to Bide Akande for 'Rhinoceros' by Theatre Y and Jacqueline Grandt in 'The Totality of All Things' at Redtwist Theatre. For musicals, they went to Tyler Anthony Smith from 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' at Haven Theatre and Colette Todd in 'A Little Night Music' at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre. Open Space Arts took home four awards in categories for short-run productions (or shows that had between 9 and 17 performances). The Theatre School at DePaul University won the 2025 Joseph Jefferson Special Award, according to an announcement from the Jeffs, honored for 'its 100-year legacy of training exceptional artists and its profound influence on the Chicago theater community.' A new Impresario Award honoring excellence in stage management went to Kyle Aschbrenner of Blank Theatre Company, and will be a part of both Equity and Non-Equity Jeffs going forward. The awards to 33 recipients across 25 categories were presented in a ceremony Monday night at the Harris Theater by the all-volunteer Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee. They recognized theater productions opening in 2024 by the Chicago area's non-union theaters. Some 138 artists in shows from 29 companies had been nominated. Winners of Non-Equity Jeff Awards for 2024 productions PRODUCTION OF A PLAY: 'August Wilson's Seven Guitars' – City Lit Theatre PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL OR REVUE: 'Into the Woods' – Kokandy Productions ENSEMBLE OF A PLAY: 'Attempts on Her Life' – TUTA Theatre ENSEMBLE OF A MUSICAL OR REVUE: 'Into the Woods' – Kokandy Productions NEW WORK: Brynne Frauenhoffer – 'Pro-Am' – First Floor Theater Erik Gernand – 'The Totality of All Things' – Redtwist Theatre DIRECTOR OF A PLAY: Rebecca Willingham – 'Pro-Am' – First Floor Theater DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL: Derek Van Barham – 'Into the Woods' – Kokandy Productions PERFORMER IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE (PLAY): Bide Akande (Berenger) – 'Rhinoceros' – Theatre Y Jacqueline Grandt (Judith) – 'The Totality of All Things' – Redtwist Theatre PERFORMER IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE (MUSICAL): Tyler Anthony Smith (Hedwig) – 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' – Haven Theatre Colette Todd (Desiree Armfeldt) – 'A Little Night Music' – Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (PLAY): Jodi Gage (Actor 1) – 'Coronation' – Refracted Theatre Company Robert Howard (Hedley) – 'August Wilson's Seven Guitars' – City Lit Theater Company PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (MUSICAL): Alicia Berneche (Letitia Peabody Primrose) – 'On the Twentieth Century' – Blank Theatre Company Maya Rowe (Charlotte Malcolm) – 'A Little Night Music' – Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre PRODUCTION (SHORT RUN): 'Cock' – Open Space Arts DIRECTOR (SHORT RUN): Michael D. Graham – 'Light Switch' – Open Space Arts PERFORMER IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE (SHORT RUN): Philip Andrew Monnett (Henry) – 'Light Switch' – Open Space Arts PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (SHORT RUN): Sonya Robinson (W) – 'Cock' – Open Space Arts ARTISTIC SPECIALIZATION (SHORT RUN): Diane Fairchild (lighting design) – 'Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol' – Lifeline Theatre SCENIC DESIGN: Marvin Tate – 'Rhinoceros' – Theatre Y COSTUME DESIGN: Patti Roeder – 'Murder in the Cathedral' – City Lit Theater Company SOUND DESIGN: Christopher Kriz – 'The Singularity Play' – Jackalope Theatre Company L.J. Luthringer – 'The Tempest' – Idle Muse Theatre Company LIGHTING DESIGN: Garrett Bell – 'Coronation' – Refracted Theatre Company PROJECTION DESIGN: Abboye Lawrence – 'Coronation' – Refracted Theatre Company MUSIC DIRECTION: Nick Sula – 'Into the Woods' – Kokandy Productions ARTISTIC SPECIALIZATION: Ariana Miles, Evelyn Ryan and Nick Sula (orchestrations) – 'Into the Woods' – Kokandy Productions
