Louise Kennedy

theater critic
Louise Kennedy

kennedy@globe.com

phone

(617) 929-2839

Biography

'Pageant' takes aim at frilly dreams of fame

STOCKBRIDGE - A satire of children's beauty pageants? Talk about shooting fish in a barrel.

Problems resolved, 'All's Well' ends well

LENOX - "All's Well That Ends Well," one of William Shakespeare's "problem plays," earned that label because it's, well, problematic. It's a comedy except when it's a tragedy, realistic except when it's a fairy tale, romantic except when it's cynical. And true love wins out in the end, unless the young lovers are really complete jerks: Bertram a cad and ...

Fifty-two years later, 'Anger' is fiery and fresh

The novelty of the fledgling Orfeo Group's production of "Look Back in Anger," closing this weekend, is that tickets are free. The more important information is that it's terrific.

'Burdick' taps into mysteries of creative process

PITTSFIELD - Where do ideas come from? Sometimes what seems like a sure thing is a bust. Other times, the most unlikely-sounding notion - making a stage musical, say, out of a nearly wordless black-and-white picture book - turns out to be just grand.

Finding a perfect marriage in 'Candida'

STOCKBRIDGE - "Candida" was reportedly George Bernard Shaw's favorite of his own comedies, and the sparkling, intelligent production at the Berkshire Theatre Festival makes it easy to see why.

How can you go wrong with Cole Porter's songs?

CAMBRIDGE - Last summer, the American Repertory Theatre took advantage of its cabaret setting at Zero Arrow Theatre and staged "A Marvelous Party," a revue of Noel Coward songs that was every bit as marvelous as its title promised. That show made it look easy - so easy, in fact, that the ART apparently decided it could do the same ...

'According to Tip' brings a legendary local character to life

Early in "According to Tip," Dick Flavin's mostly charming ramble through the life of Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Tip gives us a tip that goes a long way toward explaining the show's inspiration - and its appeal.

Tales of survival don't add up in 'Rising Water'

VINEYARD HAVEN - John Biguenet is a New Orleans writer and translator who has published short stories, essays, and some passionate and moving blog reports for The New York Times about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. He can be both funny and furious about the human errors that, he argues persuasively, did more damage to his city than the hurricane ...

'Butler' serves up farce

WELLFLEET - Absurdity with a political edge: What could be better for a summer production at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater? So it's easy to see how "What the Butler Saw," Joe Orton's farce-with-a-bite, landed on this season's schedule - especially when it's directed by David Wheeler and was to feature Max Wright.

'Ladies Man' has some fun with adapted farces

LENOX - In marital farce as in marital happiness, it's probably best not to inquire too deeply into the causes of success or failure. Laughter, like joy, rises most naturally when it's neither analyzed nor sought.

'Beyond Therapy' gets help from a fine cast at Williamstown

Where's the line between "dated" and "classic"? Judging from the success of the wacky, poppy " Boeing -Boeing" revival on Broadway, we can safely say that 1965 is now old enough to be on the right side of the line; what limped through only 23 performances in the original now triumphs as a giddy reminder of a vanished ...

'South Pacific' enchants the Tonys

"South Pacific," in its first Broadway revival since the 1950s, topped the list of Tony Award winners at last night's Radio City Music Hall ceremony in New York.

Broadway has something to sing about

With "August: Osage County" looking like a sure thing for Best Play, the races to watch in tonight's Tony Awards are mostly in the musical categories.

'Billy Bishop' revisits WWI fears and thrills

GLOUCESTER - "Billy Bishop Goes to War" has an almost cult status in Canada. But despite multiple awards, a Broadway staging produced by Mike Nichols, and a made-for-TV movie, this spare, often moving "play with music" about one young man's journey through World War I is less instantly familiar in the United States.

A happy camper? Not this time.

I went camping in Maine this weekend. And I didn't even need a tent. Like so many madcap adventures, however, this one proved more amusing in the anticipation than in the experience itself. You would think I'd know that by now.

Boston theater experiences a season of transition

As theater seasons go, the one that's winding down now feels almost like an intermission. The fall will bring us new artistic directors at our two biggest companies, as well as a pre-Broadway tryout of a musical - a former staple of the downtown scene, but something that has seemed to be going the way of the rotary phone. At ...

In 'King John,' a coolly modern take on power, morality, and war

Every era finds the Shakespeare that suits it best. So it's not surprising that "King John" is staged more often in our cynical times than before.

A grand finale at the Huntington

In his final production as artistic director of the Huntington Theatre Company, Nicholas Martin leaves us with a sweet, witty, and utterly charming musical to remember him by. Even better, it's a show you probably haven't seen.

The stage is set for fresh works

Anyone who's been through a home renovation knows the peculiar mix of exhaustion and exhilaration that a construction project can bring. When it's a theater being worked on, however, there's an added element of excitement.

In the ART's 'Cardenio,' a scholar and playwright update lost Shakespeare play

CAMBRIDGE - A play written by a leading Shakespeare scholar and a noted playwright, and said to be inspired by a lost work of Shakespeare himself, is bound to attract a lot of excitement in academic and theatrical circles alike. And so it is with "Cardenio," which opened Wednesday at the American Repertory Theatre. Hugely anticipated, it is also, I ...