By Dale King Producer/choreographer Kevin Black is rapidly becoming a master at cranking out jukebox musical theatre shows and Cirque-style acrobatic productions. Owner of Kevin Black Productions, a global entertainment company, he is responsible for devising such song-dominated presentations as: What’s New Pussycat? On the Radio, Pompadour, Tickling the Ivories, Imagine, … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2018
Flutist Torres gives excellent account of charming new concerto
By Dennis D. Rooney The sixth and final concert of this season’s Lynn Philharmonia programs April 22 ended with rollicking Latin-American rhythms and gaudy colors after opening with the gentler tones and tints of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony (No. 6 in F, Op. 68). Conductor Guillermo Figueroa achieved a solid exposition of the score and high-quality playing from the … [Read more...]
Postcard from Broadway, No. 6: “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”
Expectations mean a lot to one’s enjoyment of theater, so I guess it was good that my expectations were subterranean for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. This biographical songfest divides the role of the disco queen into three parts – Diva Donna (LaChanze), Disco Donna (Ariana DeBose) and Duckling Donna (Storm Lever) – a trio of powerhouse vocalists who rip through nearly two … [Read more...]
Postcard from Broadway, No. 5: ‘The Band’s Visit’
There is no better illustration of the gulf between reviewers and theatergoers than this season's musicals on Broadway. The reviews for Frozen and Mean Girls were unenthusiastic at best, but audiences are going crazy for both shows, which are virtually selling out in their early weeks. On the other hand, no musical received better reviews than The Band's Visit, the new David … [Read more...]
Postcard from Broadway, No. 4: “Angels in America,” “Mean Girls”
Today was Wednesday, matinee day on Broadway. My shows today underlined the range of what is available now on Broadway – a first-rate revival of Tony Kushner's epic Angels in America and a so-so new musical adaptation of Tina Fey's high school anti-bullying comedy movie, Mean Girls. Subtitled "A Gay Fantasia on National Themes," Angels in America first arrived on Broadway in … [Read more...]
‘Double Lover’ audacious and erotic, but ultimately a letdown
Though it’s only arriving in Palm Beach County on Friday, it’s no coincidence that Francois Ozon’s Double Lover opened in limited U.S. release on Feb. 14, less than a week after Fifty Shades Freed tied up a few thousand screens. Though its debt is more to David Cronenberg and Brian De Palma than to E.L. James’ risible mom porn, the movies share more space on a Venn diagram that … [Read more...]
Postcard from Broadway, No. 3: “Frozen”
Since the early '80s, when the Disney organization made its first assault on Broadway with Beauty and the Beast, it has regularly raided its animation vaults for musical subjects. Some have been inspired adaptations (The Lion King), some rote copies (Mary Poppins) and some painful (Tarzan). This season's Disney entry, Frozen -- the most successful animated film of all time … [Read more...]
Palm Beach Symphony struggles in season finale
By Dennis D. Rooney The Palm Beach Symphony closed its 44th season April 17 at the Kravis Center with a most ambitious program. Too ambitious, as it happened. American cellist Zuill Bailey was the soloist in Edward Elgar’s 1919 Cello Concerto (in E minor, Op. 85), taking the place of the previously announced Romanian cellist, Răzvan Suma. Playing the “ex-Schneider” … [Read more...]
Zoetic Stage’s ‘Fun Home’ a powerful journey
Alison Bechdel is deeply conflicted about her relationship with her father. As she puts it early in the remarkable musical Fun Home, “My dad and I were exactly alike. My dad and I were nothing alike.” That seeming contradiction defines the crux of the show, Alison’s struggle with her sexual identity and anguish over coming out as a lesbian to her parents. … [Read more...]
Postcard from Broadway, No. 2: ‘My Fair Lady’
I am more of a Sweeney Todd and Fiddler on the Roof fan, but if you insisted that My Fair Lady is the great American musical, I wouldn't argue with you, particular after seeing the extraordinary Lincoln Center revival Sunday. Bartlett Sher, the Center's resident directing marvel (South Pacific, Light in the Piazza, etc.) has created a knockout production, with eye-popping … [Read more...]