Savin Hill’s Phil Tayler stars in the one-man show “Buyer and Cellar.” Photo courtesy Lyric Stage CompanySeveral current stage shows are shining with performances by Dorchester residents, with three female dancers and a male actor among the locals scintillating on the theater scene.
For starters, two young ladies are appearing as Mice in this year’s “Nutcracker” at the Strand. They are currently enrolled in the Young Dancers Program run by the José Mateo Ballet Theatre at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church at 14 Cushing Ave. According to JMBT Program Coordinator Julie Yen, these budding ballerinas are named Claudia Hernandez and Noemi Lopez.
Secondly, Dorchester dance teacher Kaleisha Chance will be performing the role of the Mary in the 2015 “Black Nativity” production. The spectacle, now in its 45th season, is produced by the National Center of Afro-American Artists, which describes this Boston tradition as “a celebration that tells the original story of the Nativity in scripture, verse, music, and dance, based on the Gospel of St. Luke, combined with the poetry of Langston Hughes.”
Last year was the first time that the Boston “Black Nativity” was performed at the Paramount Stage, (the former movie palace in Downtown Crossing with the city’s most hypnotic marquee lights.) Large though the hall is, the 2014 season finished with three sold-out performances in a row.
As for as her movement routine, Chance says, “I believe it was choreographed by Miss Elma Lewis herself.” Chance will be performing six shows, alternating with another dancer.
She teaches dance at Codman Square Academy from K-1 through 7th grade, introducing everything from ballet to hip-hop. She joined school this year after teaching dance at her own school in Dorchester (4 Star Dance Studio), as well as at Ailey Camp Boston, New England Movement Arts, Boston Arts Academy, and Tte Jeremiah E. Burke High School. Chance is taking some of her current students to see some of her former students who are appearing in Tony Williams’s “Urban Nutcracker” at the Back Bay Events Center (John Hancock Hall).
Likewise, Codman Academy Executive Director Meg Campbell has offered to buy tickets so that Chance’s fellow teachers can cheer her on at the performance of “Black Nativity” this coming Sunday, Dec. 6.
Finally, Savin Hill’s Phil Tayler, who has appeared in many productions at the Lyric Stage Company of Boston, stars in a one-man show catering to those who don’t want to think about “the holidays,” but who love comedies that skewer the materialism of the season.
According to the New York Times, “Inspired by Barbra Streisand’s [coffee table book] “My Passion for Design, Buyer & Cellar” is part truth, part fiction. The facts? Streisand has a shopping mall in the basement of her Malibu home, featuring a doll shop, an antique clothing store, and a sweets shop, complete with a frozen yogurt machine, as detailed in her 2010 book. Playwright Jonathan Tolins takes the wackiness a step further as he imagines a man who is hired to work in the basement of the mall…with Babs as his only customer.”
Henry Lussier, the Lyric’s director of public relations, adds, “The Lyric Stage loves to put the spotlight on Boston actors who have earned kudos here, so we’re thrilled to feature Phil Tayler who has wowed Lyric Stage audiences in “Sweeney Todd,” “Avenue Q,” “Stones in His Pockets,” “City of Angels,” “On the Town,” and more.
“Buyer & Cellar” is a hilarious and surprisingly poignant tour-de-force for one actor who plays multiple characters ,including Oprah Winfrey, James Brolin, Bea Arthur, an imperious estate manager, and, of course, the divine Babs herself.” It runs through Jan. 3.
