The Rockwell
Photograph: Courtesy Yelp/Voravut R. | The Rockwell

Review

The Rockwell

4 out of 5 stars
  • Comedy
  • Somerville
  • price 2 of 4
  • Recommended
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Time Out says

The spot once known as the Davis Square Theater of Jimmy Tingle’s Off-Broadway—a speakeasy of a space hidden in Davis Square—is now the Rockwell, serving up a wider variety of comedic stylings. Offerings range from BUMP (Boston’s Unscripted Musical Project) and Dirty Disney to Shit-Faced Shakespeare and standup acts both renowned and unknown. If you’re looking to shake things up, the Star Wars burlesque show is ribald nerdiness at its best. The space also offers a dinner and show package with sister venues Saloon and Foundry on Elm.

Details

Address
255 Elm St
Somerville
02144
Cross street:
at Chester St

What’s on

Sunset Boulevard

Sunset Boulevard isn’t just another big-ticket musical—it’s a rare chance to see Andrew Lloyd Webber’s noir masterpiece up close, where every glance and whispered threat lands with real weight. The Rockwell’s intimate stage strips away the usual spectacle, letting Norma Desmond’s delusions and Joe Gillis’s desperation feel uncomfortably close. This production leans into the story’s shadows, making the audience complicit in Hollywood’s twisted glamour. The score’s lushness is still here, but it’s the psychological tension that lingers. If you’ve only seen the film or a touring version, this is a different beast: raw, unsettling, and surprisingly funny in its darkest moments. It’s not about nostalgia for old Hollywood—it’s about the cost of chasing relevance, and the way ambition warps everything it touches. You’ll leave humming, but also a little haunted.
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