Jack Neary

Recent Directing Notices

A Christmas Story

Stoneham Theatre, Stoneham, MA

Jean Shepherd’s beloved tale of Christmas past celebrates the extraordinary power of everyday lives. Phillip Grecian’s stage version of “ A Christmas Story” hits all the high points of the memorable film. But it’s clearly Jack Neary’s direction that keeps this engine running at the Stoneham Theatre...It’s Neary who is the star of this show. The stage version may not have the intimacy of the film, but Neary keeps the action moving and limits th actors’ range of movement so we feel were inside this zany but very loving home. TERRY BYRNE, THE BOSTON HERALD

The Turn of the Screw

New Century Theatre, Northampton, MA

Staging 'The Turn of the Screw' is a bold undertaking. Making people laugh in theater is difficult enough (and Neary has proved repeatedly that he can do that) - making them feel genuinely spooked is even harder. This production pulls it off with an evening's worth of startles, spine-tingles and a climax of absolute horror.

Be prepared to be scared. THE DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE

Sleuth

Foothills Theatre, Worcester, MA

“Sleuth” is a play fecund with sly wit and deadly motivation, engineered to showcase the elegantly creative perversity human nature is capable of, a psychological mind game that at its fundamentally British core stokes the clashing fires between upper and working class mores, as represented respectively by Andrew Wyke and Milo Tindle. Jack Neary, who has directed several Foothills Theatre Company productions, has guided Phil Kilbourne (Andrew) and Chip Phillips (Milo) skillfully through the deceitful thickets of Anthony Shaffer’s work in Foothills’ latest offering…Both actors keep the dialogue bouncing back and forth like a well-played tennis match. THE WORCESTER TELEGRAM

Proof

New Century Theatre, Northampton, MA

"Proof - one of the finest productions ever staged by New Century Theatre - sailed through it at last Thursday's opening night. Director Jack Neary's production of the prize-winning drama about mathematics and mental illness - set in a leafy back yard in Chicago - looks and smells like life, not a well-meaning dilution of it. Audiences are leaving the theater convinced by this "Proof." The production is the latest evidence that New Century Theatre stands in the company of the best regional theaters in the country. I feel duty-bound to warn people that it runs only through Sunday. See it or be sorry.” LARRY PARNASS, DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE

How The Other Half Loves

New Century Theatre, Northampton, MA

"How the Other Half Loves, by Alan Ayckbourn, is the kind of device-on-its-sleeve play that elicits sniggering even as it sits on a shelf - at least from anyone with a pulse of humor. Director Jack Neary and the Northampton company's crackerjack cast work madly, and successfully, to draw all they can from this tale of a marital lie's half-life. Neary and his cast nailed it perfectly in the show I caught Tuesday night...They made the difficult look easy, putting hospital corners on these unkempt beds. For that, thank the madness of the situation in this comedy - and the cast's exquisitely timed delivery. You can set your watch by this play's laughs. They're as dependable as Big Ben. “ LARRY PARNASS, DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE

Ten Little Indians

Firehouse Theatre, Newburyport, MA

“Director Jack Neary has clearly encouraged his enchanting cast to imbue this chamber piece with a thorough sense of ensemble. Every role is played with grace and conviction, and the even-handed acting makes each character simultaneously sympathetic and suspect.” LYN LEGENDRE, NEWBURYPORT DAILY NEWS, 2003

Beyond Belief

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston

“BEYOND BELIEF is a poignant, playful mix of sex and religion, alternately hilarious, preposterous and tragic…with three outstanding actresses in the roles of Gert, Alma and Marjorie, Neary’s clever dialogue and skewed wit pack the maximum punch.”

“(Colton) breaks everyone’s heart when, in the final playlet, she recounts in excruciating detail her personal bereavement as the results of a priest’s sexual transgressions…This vignette and Colton’s haunting performance take the breath away.”

“Neary should craft a few more porch scenes for the three ladies—certainly there is plenty of sexual absurdity out there to keep the trio baffled to the end of their days.” ELLEN PFIEFER, THE BOSTON GLOBE

“Neary’s direction is sharp throughout, and he has found an ideal trio of local actresses for his Golden Girls: Steinbach bakes a delightfully tart Gert, McMahon is a master of the deadpan expression as Marjorie, and Colton brings pathos to what easily could have been the most stereotypical character.” ROBERT NESTI, THE BOSTON HERALD

“Neary has created a perfect mix for his cutting laceration of blind-faith, religious conservatism. The four Gert, Alma, Marjorie playlets showcase some of the best comedy/parody writing, direction and performances I've experienced in my 40+ years in the theatre.” LARRY BLUMSACK, THEATRE NEW ENGLAND.COM

Lend Me A Tenor

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston

“The Lyric Stage Company of Boston had the good idea of engaging Jack Neary, actor, playwright and frequent director at the Worcester Foothills Theatre, to stage LEND ME A TENOR. His production is like demented clockwork, everything whirring and spinning in perfect synchronicity in fast forward…Director Neary moves these stereotypes around the stage like a soprano singing a mad scene: each note is perfectly placed and follows the others in dazzling cascade.” ELLEN PFEIFER, THE BOSTON PHOENIX

“Replete with slamming doors, mistaken identities, and conjugal conflict, Ken Ludwig’s LEND ME A TENOR has all the makings of a good farce. In any comedy, however, these devices are mere clichés if the actors and director don’t have a precise sense of timing and a penchant for farcical exaggeration. They Lyric ensemble fortunately has both in its punchy production, directed by Jack Neary. The production ends with a farcical flourish that calls for razor-sharp timing from the entire cast. There’s a palpable sense of camaraderie here…LEND ME A TENOR brings the Lyric’s laudable season to a comic close.” RYAN MCKITTRICK, THE BOSTON GLOBE

The spirit of Feydeau, with a hint of the Marx Brothers, is alive and kicking up its heels in LEND ME A TENOR on the Lyric Stage downtown. Guest Director Jack Neary marshals a crackerjack company of local comedians, and his direction doesn’t miss a trick of the trade. This show gets gales of laughter and earned the standing O—after the second finale!—that greeted Sunday’s press opening. TENOR is a blockbuster wrap up for a really great season at the Lyric.” G.L. HORTON AND WILL STACKMAN, THEATRE MIRROR

“Director Jack Neary has choreographed his company at the Lyric Stage to fluid perfection…Neary delights in the physical slapstick routines…His obvious admiration for the Marx Brothers make these scenes pure joy…the direction and the performances in this LEND ME A TENOR are pristine.” TERRY BYRNE, THE BOSTON HERALD

A Christmas Carol

Foothills Theatre, Worcester

“Neary’s CHRISTMAS CAROL is an instant classic. He fully realizes the emotional epiphany of the story…and has succeeded in capturing the essence of Dickens’ story, managing to royally entertain us in the bargain.” PAUL KOLAS, WORCESTER TELEGRAM-GAZETTE

“Foothills Theatre’s current production of Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL comes as close to embodying the holiday’s true spirit as anything you’re likely to find elsewhere. Director Jack Neary has wisely chosen to stick closely to the original in his new adaptation…A welcome addition is the introduction of humor—there are some wonderful and unexpected comic touches.” MISSY NICHOLSON, WORCESTER MAGAZINE

Dial M for Murder

Foothills Theatre, Worcester

“Director Jack Neary has assembled a brilliant cast for this production…an exceptionally well-acted and visually appealing staging of what stands up after fifty-plus years as a grabber of a story.” MISSY NICHOLSON, WORCESTER MAGAZINE

“Under Jack Neary’s superb direction, this production of DIAL M FOR MURDER makes hay of the period elements by handling them with great polish and drawing obvious links to some of Hitchcock’s more famous thrillers. While part of the pleasure of this show is its suspense, there’s also plenty of enjoyment in how the conventions of the genre are handled…The crispness of the performances and freshness of the story make this a delightful evening for anyone who enjoys a good thriller or, for that matter, anyone who believes thrillers don’t have that much pleasure to offer.” DAVID BROOKS ANDREWS, METRO WEST DAILY

“DIAL ME FOR MURDER was given an elegant and stylish opening by the Foothills Theatre Company on Sunday…Director Jack Neary seems to have mined all he can of the playful, droll humor in Frederick Knott’s drama.” PAUL KOLAS, WORCSTER TELEGRAM-GAZETTE

The Importance of Being Earnest

New Century Theatre, Northampton

“NCT’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ crackles with Wilde wit…Back in 1991, director Jack Neary writes in his program note, he and Sam Rush set out to provide “good plays performed well for smart audiences.” That’s the sort of fast and tight phrasing author Neary builds into his own plays. For the rest of this week, he continues as a director to use the brilliant language in Wilde’s last play—and a cast as nimble as quicksilver—to spritz audiences with wit…The main pleasure in this production—and it is a big one, well-suited to summer—is to cherry pick fabulous lines. Neary’s cast has polished them until they gleam…Neary’s cast delivers what’s demanded—a big show performed in superb fashion.” LARRY PARNASS, DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE

Ten Little Indians

Foothills Theatre, Worcester

“Foothills Theatre’s current production of TEN LITTLE INDIANS does Christie proud. Tightly paced and flawlessly acted under the direction of Jack Neary, the show is a delightful way to escape winter’s chill and a deserving mainstay of Worcester’s cultural scene.” MISSY NICHOLSON, WORCESTER MAGAZINE,

Light Up The Sky

New Century Theatre, Northampton

“LIGHT UP THE SKY sparkles for NCT…Neary’s production revives a brightness and a lightness that’s perfect for this ensemble…Getting people to laugh at a work this dated isn’t a matter of punching the lines. Neary’s cast immediately builds the goodwill the audience needs to take this in the right spirit…What tickles the fancy, all the way through, isn’t some ponderously allegorical drama that may or may not be any good. It’s funny. We laugh.” LARRY PARNASS, DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE

“Directed at breakneck speed by Jack Neary, New Century Theatre’s production of Moss hart’s LIGHT UP THE SKY is an instant success.” C.L. BLACKE, SPRINGFIELD JOURNAL

Don’t Dress For Dinner

Foothills Theatre, Worcester

“The more the web gets tangled and characters appear confused in the Worcester Foothills Theatre Company production of DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER, the more the audience is amused. High amused in the case of this hilarious rendition of the classic British sex farce…Impeccable comic acting by an excellent cast and perfect pacing as overseen by director Jack Neary keeps the web spinning and the laughs coming….the Foothills cast exudes the professionalism of experienced actors who make the whole venture come across as absolutely effortless.” RICHARD DUCKETT, WORCESTER TELEGRAM-GAZETTE

“Laughter is the best medicine and it’s served in roars at the Foothills Theatre’s presentation of DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER. This sexual farce is expertly directed by Jack Neary. The lines come so fast and furious that timing is everything and the actors deliver in superb fashion.” ALICE MARTIN, THE PATRIOT

“At Foothills, director Jack Neary oversees a bright and glittering production of DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER…an encouraging effort, especially in terms of polish and finesses…frankly hilarious.” SALLY CRAGIN, THE BOSTON GLOBE

The Boys Next Door

New Century Theatre

“Let’s get one thing straight right away: THE BOYS NEXT DOOR is a very funny play. It’s crammed with hilariously ludicrous situations and peopled by disarmingly off-center characters. It’s staged here by a master of comic theater with a solid cast.” CHRIS ROHMANN, THE PIONEER VALLEY ADVOCATE.

Don’t Dress For Dinner

Summer Theatre, Mount Holyoke College

“DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER,” now playing at the Summer Theatre at Mount Holyoke College and directed by Jack Neary, offers the actors plenty of comic potential, and they make the most of it. Credit director Neary with pushing the pace. There’s no letup from opening to concluding moment. DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER is impossible to resist.” FRED SOKOL, SPRINGFIELD MORNING UNION

An Inspector Calls

New Century Theatre, Northampton

“AN INSPECTOR CALLS is the first mystery offered by New Century Theatre, now in its seventh season. It’s a strong beginning. If you are a fan of mysteries you will appreciate AN INSPECTOR CALLS’ delicate reworking of the classic formula. Director Jack Neary and his cast land on their feet by making clear and honest choices.” KARA MORIN, VALLEY ADVOCATE (INSPECTOR CALLS)

“Crafting a gripping mystery for the stage demands more than layering in enough surprises. Thos surprises come rapidly enough in AN INSPECTOR CALLS, and are depicted with great richness by Jack Neary’s cast. The mystery, played out sensationally at New Century Theatre, manages to enthrall.” LARRY PARNASS, DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE (INSPECTOR)

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