New Repertory Theatre is a Boston-area theatre company that presents provocative, thought-provoking drama. Their mission is to speak to the vital ideas of our time.
The pandemic has pushed many Boston theaters to close their doors, but Watertown’s New Repertory Theatre has found a way to keep audiences coming back. They are presenting talks, readings and historical walking plays as well as a theatrical stage experience.
1. The Charles W. Lenox Experience
New Repertory Theatre, in collaboration with the Watertown Free Public Library and Historical Society of Watertown, is presenting the first play in its “Watertown Historical Moving Plays” series. This socially-distanced, outdoor historical play highlights Watertown’s Black Civil War hero Charles W. Lenox, a local barber who served with the famed 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment and rose to the rank of sergeant.
Actor Kadahj Bennett wears an 1860s-style costume and a face mask to portray Lenox during the performance. He walks through Watertown Square on a short, stop-and-start tour of historic sites where he channels the hero as he leads patrons past the place of his barbershop and Civil War monument.
The play is part of a planned series of “Historical Moving Plays” that New Rep plans to present over the next year. These performances take place on sidewalks and in public facilities and are fully accessible to audiences who use wheelchairs or mobility devices.
2. The Blue Bloods Series
The Blue Bloods Series is a new repertory theatre experience that brings the story of a family of police officers to life on stage. Featuring a cast of Broadway talent, including Ariana DeBose and Len Cariou, this production offers audiences a taste of classic American theater.
The show features a cast of characters who have served in the NYPD and FDNY. As a result, the cast and crew have a deep connection to their work.
One of those connections is Len Cariou, who has played Henry Reagan on the show for years. He is a Tony Award winner who has starred in several Broadway shows and is often credited with bringing his character to life on screen.
But it wasn’t all positive for her character on the show, as her contract was ending and she contemplated leaving the force. It was a tough choice to make and the producers didn’t listen, according to Esposito. But she’s back in action this season.
3. A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry’s classic 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun continues to resonate for its enduring insight into humanity and race. The play’s engrossing tale of a poor Black family struggling to survive on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s is considered one of the great American plays ever written.
The Younger family — adult son Walter Lee, his stern but loving mother Lena, and careworn wife Ruth — live in a crowded, cramped apartment. The matriarch has dreams for her family’s future.
She would love to have her husband’s late father’s life insurance money, which he left behind for her, buy a house. She also hopes the money will help her put her daughter Beneatha through medical school.
But what if the windfall turns out to be a setback? And how will they overcome it? Will the dreams they have held for so long finally come to fruition? Or will they dry up like a raisin in the sun?
4. The Lion
A beloved animated film and a never-to-be-forgotten Broadway extravaganza, The Lion King is one of Disney’s most cherished creations. Featuring now-classic songs by Tim Rice and Elton John, it tells the story of a young lion cub who learns from his father Mufasa that he is to one day rule the Pride Lands.
When he is hoodwinked by his evil uncle, Scar, Simba leaves the regal Pride Lands to live carefree in the untamed wastelands under the “Hakuna Matata” philosophy of “no worries.” He grows up under the wise guidance of the laid-back meerkat Timon, the kindhearted warthog Pumbaa, and the intelligent mandrill Rafiki, but when Scar returns to take back his kingdom, Simba must decide whether to stay in the safe, carefree jungle or return to the Pride Lands and reclaim his throne.
While a lot of the film is technically brilliant, it also has a tendency to fall into the same basic problems that plagued the original. In short, there’s a loss of emotional range that will probably never be overcome.
