Theater reviews: Marvel actor, Barnstable High graduate Neal McDonough plays Whitey Bulger

There are two reviews this week: One of a musical revue in Cotuit so good it might knock your socks off and one in Boston (with several Cape Cod actors) so good it might kill you.

Let's start with "Hunting Whitey" that had its world premiere May 16 in a sold-out Wilbur Theatre. The one-night-only show (to start) starred Barnstable High School grad Neal McDonough as crime boss Whitey Bulger with other Cape actors playing parts of his Winter Hill Gang.

A little context: Let me step back for a second with this anecdote about Mr. Bulger. In college (40 years ago) my friend drove a cab and he was regularly summoned to Whitey's house on the hill to deliver ice cream. This gave my friend untold anxiety as he feared every week that Whitey Bulger would have him whacked if the ice cream were the wrong flavor or had melted.

'Hunting Whitey': Barnstable High School graduate Neal McDonough plays notorious gangster

I know Whitey Bulger, despite having killed 19 people, was a neighborhood hero to many ― some of whom seemed to be at Tuesday's performance with shouts of "We love you, Whitey!" ― but I never had any desire to meet the man.

After watching McDonough ("Yellowstone," "Band of Brothers," "Captain America") play the psychopathic killer Whitey Bulger, I am not sure I want to meet McDonough either ― despite the fact that by many accounts McDonough himself is a very nice guy. McDonough settled into Bulger the minute he sauntered onto the Wilbur stage toting a quiet arrogance, all patronizing superiority.

"Whitey Bulger never thought he was a villain, he thought he was a good guy," said Casey Sherman, who with Dave Wedge did extensive research. "People like that think they are living by their own moral code but they leave a trail of terror in their wake."

McDonough shares the physical traits with Bulger of white hair and piercing blue eyes (which I could somehow feel in the top balcony), but he also embodied the gangster with body language: McDonough settled weight in his hips, giving himself a paunch, and walked a little bow-legged with one foot turned out.

"He told me he was born to play this role," said Sherman who, with Wedge, wrote the 2020 book "Hunting Whitey: The Untold Story of the Capture and Killing of America’s Most Wanted Crime Boss" and the stage adaptation presented at the Wilbur.

"When I picked him (McDonough) up at Logan the day before the show, I knew Whitey was there. I could see the menace in his eyes," Sherman said of his high school friend.

Terrific acting: McDonough's ability to balance that menacing maniac with the old man who was willing to take any punishment if the feds would let his girlfriend, Catherine Grieg (played with a wonderful, vague innocence by Lin Hult) get off free was truly astounding. McDonough, who had one rehearsal at the Wilbur, missed an entrance but arrived on stage so completely immersed in being Whitey that there was no distraction.

Several Cape residents played roles, including Sandwich drama teacher Kevin Lasit as Steven “The Rifleman” Flemmi and Christine Mone of Mashpee playing Flemmi's stepdaughter and lover Deborah Hussey. In real life and in the play, Flemmi raged at Bulger over Hussey's murder. Mone was heartbreaking as the ghost of Hussey brought back to life to describe her own murder. Kudos to director Ian Barrett for coaxing the darkness and duality from each cast member.

Fun fact: There wasn't a lot of fun here, but the writers wove in bits of humor to help people deal with the ghastlier bits.

See it or not? Yes, as soon as you can. Sherman said he and Wedge, who are the play's narrators, are working to negotiate a longer run in Boston and then move to Broadway and even to London. The "Hunting Whitey" title may change to "The Last Gangster" since Whitey's reputation is mostly in Boston and its suburbs.

Fixes in the making: The second act was a little long, bogging down some in details of the trial. Sherman said he and his partners will look at what worked and didn't in that one night and adjust accordingly.

Will you see it on TV? Sherman said he, Wedge and McDonough are working to negotiate a mini series, as they have with other books they have co-written, including "Boston Strong." ― Gwenn Friss

'Muskrat Love' in Cotuit spoofs the Grammys

The show: Muskrat Love II: The Muskies

What it is about: A wonderful spoof on the Grammys where co-hosts announce weird categories like “Songs to get children into a windowless van,” “Best song about a foot fetish” or “Song most likely to enable a narcissist” with three songs vying for the “Musky” award. The Cotuit house band and a number of local actors then belt out the winning song to the humor and love of the studio audience. Get out there and dance!

See it or not? See it for sure. This is two hours and ten minutes of extreme fun with songs ranging from the 1960s to nearly present day, with every song a stroll down memory lane.

Highlight of the show:  The level of talent in this show, from actors Alex Valentine, James O’Neill (my wife’s personal favorite, comparing his facial expressions to Robin Williams), Matthew Levesque and Louisa Gould to Randy Doyle on vocals and acoustic guitar to even announcer Trish LaRose, and vocal singers Emily Wade Adams and Emma Fitzpatrick are just superior talents. This performance will make you laugh a lot, but the talent is undeniable. Lastly, Adams' and Fitzpatrick’s rendition of Sonny and Cher’s “I Got you Babe” was so over-the-top funny, that even they almost could not finish the skit!  

Fun fact:  Cotuit held their first Muskrat Love in 2021 and they have been dying to do another one. This new rendition features all new songs.

Worth noting: The Cotuit house band is simply top-notch. Malcolm Granger and Andy Troyanos’ electric guitar performance on The Knacks’ “My Sharona” was stunning, Peter Murray’s stirring flute action on the Moody Blues “Nights in White Satin” gave me goosebumps.

One more thing: Muskrat Love II is tied altogether with the humor of co-hosts Chris Edwards and Holly Hanson (who stunned the crowd at the last chorus with an incredible voice in the Neil Diamond duet “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” with Matthew Levesque as Neil). The co-hosts' delirious comedic timing throughout the show, which was no easy feat, kept the show rolling and sidesplitting from beginning to the very end.

If you go: Runs through June 3, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. Tickets and information: www.artsonthecape.org

― Jay Pateakos

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: 'Hunting Whitey' sells out premiere; 'Muskrat Love' too sweet to miss