June 2, 2007

News (Brief)

Even I can't believe that I haven't posted in over a week... thanks for looking around the blog in the meanwhile.

We said farewell to a number of our production staff for the summer, mostly in the costume shop, but even though it's much quieter in my wing of the theatre there is still plenty going on!

Present Laughter (company taking their bows, above) is enjoying great success with fantastic reviews (see my Shared Items in the sidebar), standing ovations, and lots of VIP guests. Ticket sales are taking off and may meet some daily sales records not seen since Ain't Misbehavin' or Butley. There are still, however, plenty of tickets available through the run ending on June 17th. The Boston Globe has been keeping up with our special guests in their Names Column.

We are gearing up for the upcoming production of Kiki and Herb beginning June 13th at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA. The details are coming together and I still think it's going to be a great time.

If you've ever needed a good excuse to come into the city, have a great dinner, and see some truly entertaining theatre we've got two great reasons; Present Laughter and Kiki and Herb. I've got lots of friends coming in this month and am looking forward to catching up with a few of them on Sunday with dinner at Petit Robert Bistro on Columbus Ave before Sunday evening's show. With two locations relatively close to the theatre, Petit Robert is one of your best options for reasonably priced pre-theatre fine dining. For Dessert - try a Noel Coward tune sung by the Company of Present Laugher (below).


Our Playwriting Fellows continue to enjoy success with new productions and new plays being announced seemingly every day for the past few weeks. I'm hoping Ilana Brownstein will have a comprehensive update for us early next week.

Lastly - we are very busy wrapping up details on our creative teams for next season. Look for some announcements on that front soon too. I'm hoping we'll be starting construction on The 39 Steps by the end of the month.

So if I add a few summer capital improvement projects to the above list - it's easily a dozen major projects that have been keeping me busy for the last couple of weeks. Plus I'm enjoying weekends off again.

We'll get you some more Present Laughter content soon, promise!

(Photos by T. Charles Erickson)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

We had dinner at Petit Robert Bistro last night and were sorely disappointed. Mushroom risotto in which rice, cream, and mushrooms met for the first time in the bowl as they were served. The service was very good, and the setting is pleasant. Too bad about the food...

Todd Williams said...

Sorry to hear you were disappointed. I dined there this evening and had a very pleasant experience, including the food. I thought the service was slightly rushed but they timed it perfectly as we finished our meal and walked to the show with 10 minutes to spare.

My dining companions started with soups (french onion, lobster bisque, and a leek and potato)and there were no complaints. I tried a nice trio of pates. The entrees, all under $20, were quite nice. Most of us had seafood - scallops, monkfish and bluefish entrees, with one hold out for the steak frites. My haddock was very fresh, perfectly cooked and delicately seasoned.

Desserts were good too - we shared their chocolate gateau, a creme caramel, and a nice mix of fresh fruit with angel food cake and refreshing sorbet.

I've read mixed reviews from a number of sources, but I heard good things from co-workers recently, so thought it worth a try and will stand by my advice. For pleasant french food, good value, convenience to the BU Theatre, atmosphere and service it's still on my list of best bets.

I also found out they have a bar menu from 11PM - 1AM so it's also an option for post show dining.

Where you like to dine when coming to see a show on Huntington Ave? I'd love to hear about it.