Back when COVID-19 was a new term–back when we were just starting to realize something big was coming that’d change everything–Neptune’s artistic director Jeremy Webb put it perfectly to The Coast, in an article on how Coronavirus could cripple the arts: “The arts scene isn't going away. The arts scene is self-isolating like everyone else for safety, for security and for health,” he said. “An artist doesn't stop being an artist just because they're standing alone in a room and not onstage for 4,000 people.”
Today, Webb and the rest of the Neptune Theatre crew have a happy announcement: Their artists are done standing alone in rooms. The lights are coming back on at Neptune in March–though for crowds of 50 rather than 4,000–as a run of concerts and play readings act as a fundraiser for the Argyle Street stalwart. (While the play titles are still to be announced, some of the concerts have been named–including that the Cory Adams All Star Band will deliver a cool mix of jazz and blues on March 20.)
The Reunited series, as it’s called, isn’t the first time the theatre has opened its doors during the pandemic (you may recall when the movie Splinters was screened there last November). But it is the return of the in-person, live experience–something that’s turned theatre as a form on its head over the last year.
Catch the series of concerts and to-be-announced play readings Saturdays at 4pm from March 6-April 3. After having to shelve its 2020-21 season–and after having its doors closed for 11 months–Neptune will use the money raised to mount a 2021-22 season. Help make that happen by getting your tickets, which range from $10-$43 and are available as of today, at Neptune’s website.
