By his own count, Theodore Bikel played Tevye the milkman in the enduring musical Fiddler on the Roof more than 2,000 times, more than any other stage performer. But unlike Zero Mostel, who originated the role on Broadway, the Vienna-born actor-activist-folk troubadour scrupulously avoided the Borscht Belt shtick that so frequently was attached to the character. “I’m so much … [Read more...]
Archives for July 2015
MacGraw, O’Neal reunite for ‘Love Letters’ at Broward Center
If you are on the far side of 55 or have an extensive DVD collection of romantic kitsch, you probably know Oliver Barrett IV and Jenny Cavalleri, a/k/a Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw, of Erich Segal’s runaway bestselling novel Love Story and the 1970 blockbuster movie it spawned. Well, the two film stars – now in their mid-70s – have reunited for a national tour of A.R. Gurney’s … [Read more...]
At FAU Festival Rep: ‘She Loves Me’ sparkles, ‘Royal Family’ drags
In an effort to attract an audience to its Festival Rep, a South Florida summertime tradition for the past 17 years, Florida Atlantic University usually includes a musical as one of its two productions performed in rotating repertory. And the company of current theater students, recent graduates and a couple of professional guest artists often manages to pull off the musical … [Read more...]
Community theater: ‘Tommy’ rocks house at Lake Worth Playhouse
By Dale King Tommy rocks. The stellar performers at Lake Worth Playhouse pull out all the stops to stage an energetic version of the rock musical Tommy, based on The Who’s 1969 double album. The tale of the “deaf, dumb and blind kid” who became a pinball wizard explodes on stage with nearly two dozen players backed by the screaming guitar of Ben Brown and three other … [Read more...]
Dramaworks’ Beautiful ‘Night Music’ perfect for your Florida summer night
From the 1970s — Stephen Sondheim’s most creative period, the decade of his major collaborations with director Harold Prince — comes A Little Night Music, their lush, irony-fueled tale of the follies of love. It kicks off Palm Beach Dramaworks’ latest summer of staged concerts, a hybrid format that trades in scenic challenges for evocative, stage-wide projections and focuses in … [Read more...]
PBCMF Concert 2: Surprising Dubois, a touching tribute, elegant Brahms
Grab-bags of eclectic programming, a hallmark of the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival since its inception 24 seasons ago, are always interesting in themselves, though in many cases the disparate works don’t necessarily hang together as an entity. But the second concert in its four-concert weekly series, presented last weekend at the Crest Theatre in downtown Delray Beach, had … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: July 17-19
Film: You’ve got to wonder whose idea it was to release Bill Condon’s first-rate, literate and cerebral Sherlock Holmes tale, called simply Mr. Holmes, in the middle of the summer when it is bound to be crowded out by superhero blockbusters and dazzling animation. Had it been released in the fall, it would surely be vying for Oscars and other awards, particularly for Ian … [Read more...]
Theater roundup: ‘Hamlet,’ ‘George M!’
Celebrating its 25th anniversary season, Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival reaches for its namesake playwright’s best known — and best — work, Hamlet. And though the company is still reeling from the loss of its most skilled actor, director and dramaturg, Kevin Crawford, the current production points to a future for the classical troupe beyond him. Kyle Schnack, a reliable … [Read more...]
Schumer muffles talents for rom-com routine in ‘Trainwreck’
Judd Apatow and Amy Schumer have balls. After all, they should know that any movie that dares to title itself Trainwreck is begging for smug derision from lazy critics, the Shalits and Reeds and Traverses of the waning print dynasties and the bloated blogosphere, who can now summon their most tired rail-travel metaphors or come up with gems such as “the title says it all.” The … [Read more...]
Miami Summer Music Festival bounces back from no-show with high spirits, strong Mahler
The opening concert of the second-ever season of the Miami Summer Music Festival opened in good news-bad news fashion, with the worst intelligence coming at the very start: No Deborah Voigt. The celebrated soprano, who was to open the season Saturday night at Barry University’s Shepard Broad Performing Arts Center, begged off, citing stomach flu and promising to appear for … [Read more...]