Archive for Reviews

By Michele Markarian for The Theater Mirror. Updated December 17, 2025. “A Scandinavian Story for Christmas”. Inspired by Gregory Maguire’s “Matchless”, Written by Debra Wise and Patrick Sawonson. Dramaturg, Nicole Galland. Directed by Debra Wise. Music Direction by Elijah Botkin. Choreography by Tom Roby. Presented by Sanders Theatre,…

By Jeffrey Gantz for The Boston Globe. Updated December 17, 2025. CAMBRIDGE — “To drive the dark away” has been a watchword of Revels’ annual midwinter/Christmas celebration, and it doesn’t get much darker than this year’s destination: Scandinavia. In that part of the world, at the winter solstice,…

By David Greenham for The Arts Fuse. Updated December 16, 2025. The 2025 version of the Revels once again fills historic Sanders Theater with comedy and music, while at the same time encouraging us to reflect on the things that are important in life — family, love, and…

By Steve Landrigan for The Boston Music Intelligencer. Updated December 15, 2025. Midwinter Revels arrived back at Sanders Theater this weekend bringing its trademark exuberance, along with much excellent music making and heart-warming story telling. This fixture on the Boston Christmas calendar has become the kind of beloved seasonal…

By Lynne Weiss for Stage and Cinema. Updated December 14, 2025. In keeping with its Scandinavian theme, this year’s Midwinter Revels presents a smorgasbord of stories, songs, and dances in Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre. The very foundation of the Revels experience is something of a smorgasbord, in fact. Revels has…

By David Greenham for The Arts Fuse. Updated December 23, 2024. Once again, Revels has pulled together a varied and diverse cast of amateurs and professionals to amplify a valuable lesson: it’s important to stop and take stock of our lives during the longest night of the year…

By Jeanne Denizard, The Sleepless Critic. Updated December 22, 2024. Island waves and a Celtic touch navigate two interpretations of a classic folk tale. Directed with ruminating holiday cheer by Debra Wise and versatile music direction by Elijah Botkin, the 54th annual Midwinter Revels presents The Selkie Girl and the Seal Woman:  A…

By Charlotte Snow for New England Theater Mirror. Updated December 19, 2024. ‘The Selkie Girl And The Seal Woman’. Directed by Deborah Wise. Music Directed by Elijah Botkin, Dramaturgy by Nicole Gallahad, Choreography by Neusa Barros Aravjo & Jackie O’Reilly, Tradition Bearing by Candida Rose Baptista & Almina…

By Jeffery Gantz, Globe correspondent. Updated December 14, 2024. “Midwinter Revels” hadn’t touched down in Ireland in more than three decades, so this year’s return to the Emerald Isle is more than welcome. The show, “The Selkie Girl and the Seal Woman,” takes place in an imagined pub…

By Terry Byrne, Globe correspondent. Updated December 12, 2024. “The Revels,” says director Debra Wise, “is the ultimate collage.” This year’s 54th production, “The Selkie Girl and the Seal Woman” is the result of months of listening, learning, collecting, and curating, culminating in a gathering of nearly 60 singers, musicians,…