RENT This tour, featuring cast members Anthony Rapp (above left) and Adam Pascal (right), brings a fresh sense of energy and passion to Jonathan Larson’s slacker “Boheme.’’ Through July 26. Colonial Theatre. 800-982-2787, www.broadwayacrossamerica.com (Page G24, 221 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jul 24, 2009

In ‘Quake,’ the aftershocks tell all Frank Galati adapted “After the Quake’’ from two short stories by Haruki Murakami: “Superfrog Saves Tokyo,’’ in which a giant frog does indeed save Tokyo, and “Honey Pie,’’ in which a man tells bedtime stories to the young daughter of the woman he secretly loves. (Page G6, 819 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jul 22, 2009

Fantasy vs. reality at high noon in ‘True West’ WILLIAMSTOWN - When the Williamstown Theatre Festival announced this summer’s season, there was a neat little twist in the casting for “True West’’: The warring brothers in Sam Shepard’s classic neo-Western LA yarn would be played by real-life brothers Nate and Rob Corddry. (Page G5, 719 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jul 21, 2009

Now playing (Page N4, 139 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jul 19, 2009

This ‘Rent’ is on the money The production of “Rent’’ that’s at the Colonial Theatre through July 26 lives up to its full billing: “Rent: The Broadway Tour.’’ It feels far closer to Broadway than the other wan, scruffy versions that have limped through town on earlier tours. (Page G4, 636 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jul 18, 2009

Critic's picks THEATER AFTER THE QUAKE (Page G25, 138 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jul 17, 2009

All their world’s a spoof From the first thumb-wrestling match between a Montague and a Capulet to the final soliloquy by Omelet, the Cheese Danish, the Orfeo Group’s production of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)’’ has enough silly puns and goofy sight gags to keep you laughing through the rest of the summer. And it delivers all of them - and at least ... (Page G10, 689 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jul 16, 2009

Who’s your Daddy? WILLIAMSTOWN - Playwright Jonathan Marc Sherman has recently discovered the joys of fatherhood. This is undoubtedly wonderful for him, but it is not an unalloyed blessing for his audiences. (Page G4, 886 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jul 14, 2009

‘Red Hot Lovers’ has cooled in 40 years GLOUCESTER - Neil Simon’s “Last of the Red Hot Lovers’’ is 40 years old. Its protagonist, Barney, a married man who’s longed to have an affair for years but has never quite dared to, is 52. Neither the play nor the character is aging particularly well. (Page G6, 589 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jul 8, 2009

WILLIAMSTOWN - As befits a play called “Children,’’ the leading character in A.R. Gurney’s 1974 work doesn’t even get a name. She’s just called Mother. (Page G8, 695 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jul 6, 2009

Old-fashioned passion PITTSFIELD - Julianne Boyd loves old musicals, and she stages them with such freshness and verve that she makes audiences fall in love with them all over again, too. (Page G4, 621 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jun 30, 2009

A textbook case of absurd humor WELLFLEET - “The Bald Soprano,’’ as a title, has become so familiar that its original absurdity is now all but impossible to scent. What happens to the shock of the new when it’s old? (Page G24, 655 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jun 26, 2009

ELEMENTS OF DRAMA “The Einstein Project,’’ a biographical drama at Stockbridge’s Berkshire Theatre Festival Tuesday through July 18, is the latest in a long string of regional productions about physicists. And as you’ll see in the mini-bios that accompany this periodic table, these guys get their share of unexpected pop-culture attention, too. What’s the attraction: their dark energy, or their charm? (Page G27, 320 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jun 26, 2009

Like the Alice Walker novel on which it is based, the musical version of “The Color Purple’’ is at once epic and personal - packed to bursting with incident and character, spanning 40 years, yet seen through the eyes of one downtrodden woman who only finds her own power late in the day. Also like the novel, it can seem ... (Page G22, 767 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jun 19, 2009

Critic's picks THEATER THE COLOR PURPLE (Page G25, 122 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jun 19, 2009

A meeting of faith and science PITTSFIELD - Mark St. Germain has constructed an entire one-act play out of one simple “what if’’: What if Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis had met? (Page G11, 652 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jun 18, 2009

LENOX - One-act plays, even by an acknowledged master, can be a tricky sell. So Shakespeare & Company has cleverly packaged three by Harold Pinter into a single two-hour program, "Pinter's Mirror." (Page G5, 673 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jun 17, 2009

A love letter to Judy Garland STONEHAM - If "Dear Miss Garland" consisted solely of the Judy Garland impersonation that Kathy St. George has perfected over the years, it would be an impressive feat - but perhaps more of a curiosity for devotees than a real theatrical event. As it happens, though, the Stoneham Theatre production is much, much more. (Page G10, 578 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jun 11, 2009

'Charlie Brown' still has a nice kick GLOUCESTER - If I start writing now, when I'm not really rested, it will upset my thinking, which is not good at all. I'll get a fresh start tomorrow, and it's not due till Wednesday, so I'll have all of Tuesday, unless - (Page G6, 491 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jun 10, 2009

Live, it's beautiful: Benigni offers amusing insights to Dante's 'Inferno' Roberto Benigni, the Italian actor best known here for his movie "Life Is Beautiful" - and, perhaps even more, for his manically ecstatic Oscar speech about it - came to the Berklee Performance Center Saturday night to perform "Tutto Dante," a two-hour, one-man show in which he discusses and recites the fifth canto of Dante's "Inferno." (Page B12, 544 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jun 8, 2009

"Billy Elliot, The Musical" dominated last night's Tony Awards with 10, including best musical, best direction of a musical, and an unprecedented three-way shared lead actor award for its young stars, David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish. (Page G5, 758 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jun 8, 2009

Critic's picks - theater Last chance ROMANCE (Page N5, 63 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jun 7, 2009

In dark times, theaters opt for lighter summer fare Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater has made a name for itself as a presenter of dark, edgy, groundbreaking theater. Last summer's lineup, for example, featured Martin McDonagh's brutal "Pillowman," a David Mamet comedy, and a slew of world premieres. (Page N1, 1235 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jun 7, 2009

Critic's picks THEATER MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Page G30, 102 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jun 5, 2009

Earnest portrait amid troubled times In "Mother G," playwright Robert Johnson tells a powerful story of women standing up to a corrupt pastor and the men who initially support him. Though the play could bear some trimming and tightening, the passion and commitment both of the playwright and of his subject come shining through. (Page G4, 646 words)By: Louise Kennedy|Date: Jun 2, 2009