"Everyone in Yonkers is afraid of Grandma." Neil Simon's "Lost in Yonkers" won the 1991 Pulitzer and Tony Awards. "Lost" is not quite as light-hearted as his "Brighton Beach Memoirs" trilogy of comedies. In his character study of the Kurnitz family, Simon conveys two powerful messages that are keenly felt in Monomoy Theater's intensely thorough production, directed by Francesca James. Guest Artist Ellen Fis...

It was a little more than 24 hours before opening night of "As You Like It" at the Monomoy Theatre, and Allison Layman, who was preparing to go on as Rosalind in Shakespeare's comedy, was "nervous and excited." In addition to tackling the demanding role, often referred to as "Hamlet for women," Layman was also being directed for the first time by her father, Monomoy guest artist and favorite Terry Layman. Alli...

CHATHAM — Researchers at the Whydah Museum in West Yarmouth and Provincetown recently used DNA tests to draw some conclusions about the human bones Whydah divers have found at the site of the 1717 shipwreck off Eastham. First, a thigh bone that had a one-in-40 chance of belonging to the Whydah’s Captain Sam Bellamy did not belong to the infamous pirate. DNA from the bone was compared to DNA from Bellamy’s re...

CHATHAM — As a little girl, Jo Ann Ritter was fascinated by color. She "colored continuously." And later in life, as an artist, this is evident in her work. Beautiful colors in harmony with each other, combined with a subtle use of shading, create a calm, peaceful mood in her oil paintings. Ritter is a plein air painter, one who paints outside and captures the scene fresh from life. Ritter initially studied ...

"All the world's a stage!" Monomoy Theater's playful production of William Shakespeare's sportive, pastoral comedy "As You Like It" is set to the Age of Regency about 1790. Autocratic Dukes and Lords continue to rule their jurisdictions with full control over their subjects including brothers, sons, and daughters, or so it seems. "And all the men and women merely players." Written in 1599, "As You Like It" ...

We didn’t want it to end! Cape Rep’s production of the Broadway musical “Mamma Mia” had us clapping, dancing in our seats and grinning for the entire two-plus hours. And we wanted more! This show is exactly what we all are craving: a silly, infectious diversion from all the pressures of this chaotic world. “Mamma Mia,” a collaboration of the ABBA songs with music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus...

When one hears the title “world’s longest-running musical,” Broadway blockbusters like “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Cats” come to mind. Surprisingly, “The Fantasticks” was never on Broadway but still claims the title, after running for 42 years off-Broadway, starting in 1960. This summer, the Academy of Performing Arts is paying homage to the staying-power of the musical with a heartfelt production. Mak...

On Friday night, Aug. 3, the Melody Tent in Hyannis was filled to bursting with Baby Boomers. Very, very happy Baby Boomers. They had gathered for what the Tent had promoted as “An Evening with Tommy James and The Shondells and Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone.” Many in this audience came to the Tent as retirees and grandparents – and left as youngsters, if only for a couple of magic hours. It was Noon...

This summer, audiences can sail the seven seas while learning all about the pirate code at the Cape Rep Theatre’s “How I Became a Pirate.” The Rep is home to the only outdoor theater on Cape Cod, making their childrens' shows a fun outdoor activity for the whole family. The performing arts center was converted out of a childrens' camp, so the stage is set in the middle of a clearing. The outdoor scenery gives ...

Nietzsche might have said, “God is dead,” but at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, she is alive and has something to say, in the irreverent comedy “An Act of God,” written by playwright David Javerbaum. The show opens with a part-game-show-part-talk-show vibe. Being momentarily housed in “the toffee-colored” body of Lynnette R. Freeman (which is the name of the actress playing the part), God has taken a human f...

Phil Rittner's rock music and Teddy Yudain's gigantic flesh-eating puppet have taken over the Monomoy Theater in a wretchedly bewitching musical playing all week. Being green has been tainted by a terrifying plant with dreadful eating habits. No cousin to a cuddly sing-along frog named Kermit brought to life by the late master puppeteer Jim Henson. Audrey II is no Muppet! She commands center stage with shark-like...

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” So begins Robert Frost’s famous 1916 poem “The Road Not Taken.” Wouldn’t it enhance Frost’s poem if you could read it while standing in a picturesque wood? Since mid-June you can. This and 27 other poems—half for adults, half for young readers—are set out on Chatham’s first Poetry Walk thanks to a collaboration between the Eldredge Public Library (EPL) and the Chatham ...