Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
246 Tremont St. (
&
617/423-4008
). The Citi Performing Arts Center operates the
Wang and the Shubert.
The excellent local theater scene boasts two nationally acclaimed repertory compa-
nies that stage classic and contemporary productions. The
Huntington Theatre
Company
performs at the Boston University Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave. (
&
617/
266-0800;
www.huntingtontheatre.org). The
American Repertory Theatre,
or ART
(pronounced A-R-T), which makes its home at Harvard University's
Loeb Drama
Center,
64 Brattle St., Cambridge (
&
617/547-8300;
www.amrep.org), also books
the
Zero Arrow Theatre,
0 Arrow Street at Mass. Ave.
The
Lyric Stage,
140 Clarendon St. (
&
617/585-5678;
www.lyricstage.com),
mounts contemporary and modern works in an intimate second-floor setting. The
Stu-
art Street Playhouse,
200 Stuart St., in the Radisson Hotel Boston (
&
617/426-4499;
www.stuartstreetplayhouse.com), books one-person shows and revues.
The innumerable college options include Suffolk University's
C. Walsh Theatre,
55
Temple St., Beacon Hill (
&
617/573-8680
); various performance spaces at
Boston Uni-
versity
(
&
617/266-0800
),
Harvard
(
&
617/495-8676;
www.fas.harvard.edu/~ofa),
and
MIT
(
&
617/253-4003;
web.mit.edu/arts); and Northeastern's
Blackman Theater,
360 Huntington Ave. (
&
617/373-2247
).
FAMILY THEATER/AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Charles Playhouse
The off-Broadway sensation
Blue Man Group
began
selling out the Charles Playhouse's Stage I as soon as it arrived in 1995. The trio of
cobalt-colored entertainers backed by a rock band uses music, percussion, food, and
audience members in its performance. It's not recommended for children under 8, but
older kids will love it. Shows are usually at 7:30pm Wednesday and Thursday; 7 and
10pm Friday; 4, 7, and 10pm Saturday; and 1 and 4pm Sunday (with extra perform-
ances during the holidays and school vacations). Tickets are available at the box office
and through Ticketmaster.
Shear Madness
, on Stage II (downstairs), is the longest-running nonmusical
play in theater history. Since January 1980, the zany “comic murder mystery” has
turned the stage into a unisex hairdressing salon—and crime scene. The show's never
the same twice; one of the original audience-participation productions, the play
changes as spectator-investigators question suspects, reconstruct events, and then
name the murderer. Performances are Tuesday through Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 6
and 9pm, and Sunday at 3 and 7pm.
74 Warrenton St.
&
617/426-6912
(Blue Man Group) and
617/426-5225 (Shear Madness). www.blueman.com and www.shearmadness.com. Blue Man Group $58
Kids
A Summer Theater Treat
The
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company
(
&
617/482-9393;
www.free
shakespeare.org) usually performs free on Boston Common Tuesday through
Sunday nights in late July and early August. Bring a picnic and blanket, rent a
chair ($5 or so) if you don't want to sit on the ground, and enjoy the sunset and
a high-quality performance. The company, which is affiliated with the Citi Per-
forming Arts Center, is about half Equity actors, and the sets are spectacular.
Maintenance work on the Common may affect the schedule during your visit;
check ahead.
Finds
