The Curtain Call

 There is a need for new musicals based on completely original ideas.  One of the best places to view new works, I have recently discovered, is Boston.  Not only is this much closer to where I live compared to New York City, but there is a thriving theater scene that you will be able to find a production that satisfies your needs.  One show that immediately caught my eye was LATE: A New Musical.  The topic of high schoolers expressing their trauma of a school shooting is not a typical musical concept, but it was enough to draw me in.  As a high school teacher myself, I was deeply impacted by the subject matter that was beautifully displayed by the developmental production. Photo by Romero Mehta LATE  follows the tale of high school best friends Billie and Katie as they go about a regular day at school and that same day exactly one year later after living with the impact of a school shooting on that seemingly normal day.  We follow the affects of h...

     One of the hidden gems about the city of Boston is its amazing theatre scene. There is so much going on that if you love theatre, there is something for you. Not only are there major national tours that make frequent stops, but their regional productions have put on some of the best shows I have ever seen. There is so much talent in the city that any theatre creative can thrive here. It is also a popular city for out-of-town tryouts for Broadway shows, the most recent one being The Queen of Versailles . At the beginning of March, I had the privilege of seeing LATE: A New Musical in a developmental production.           LATE is a contemporary character-driven new musical about a year in the emotional life of Wilhelmina “Billie” Jackson, her best friend Katie Williams, and six of their high school friends, all coming of age in the era of school shootings. It’s the gripping story of broken lives and newfound lives, of friendship put...