Miami City Ballet shared a glittering jewelry box with us March 18 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts by presenting a treasure: Jewels. This iconic ballet, which is performed by numerous ballet companies around the world, was choreographed for New York City Ballet in 1967 by George Balanchine who always claimed that, despite the title, his evening-length ballet … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2022
In 40th year, SunFest celebrates the volunteers who make the music happen
Since SunFest unveiled its more youthful pop, hip-hop, and country music-centric 2022 musical lineup in February, there’s been no shortage of opinions about it. Just look at Facebook for proof. Or don’t bother. Yet 40 years after its 1982 inception — and especially after a two-year, COVID-19-necessitated hiatus — it may be time to look backstage, and behind the scenes, of … [Read more...]
Strong Britten, confident Beethoven distinguish Symphonia concert
By Dennis D. Rooney In January, I reviewed the second concert of The Symphonia’s 17th season, conducted by Andrés Cárdenas. At that time, I noted tonal imbalance among the string choirs, with the violins sounding astringent. Sunday’s concert at Boca Raton's St. Andrews School (the third of the season), heard from an identical seat in Roberts Auditorium, offered dull … [Read more...]
‘Overactive Letdown’ a harrowing look at postpartum mental anguish
Although it seems unlikely that playwright Gina Montet had this in mind with her new play, Overactive Letdown, anyone who sees her exploration of post-partum psychosis would then be loath to have a baby. After all, Christine and Mark are a smart, well-educated, caring couple, excited about their imminent parenthood and yet ill-equipped to cope with its demands. For while … [Read more...]
The Civil War, played for laughs: Boca Stage’s sharp, funny ‘Ben Butler’
Comedy depends on the element of surprise. And the most surprising thing about Ben Butler, Richard Strand’s Civil War tug-of-war over a runaway slave who seeks asylum at a Union army post, is that the dire situation is played for laughs. The play is full of verbal wit, delivered with verve by a capable four-member cast at Boca Stage, under the crafty direction of the … [Read more...]
A history lesson with love and nuance: Dramaworks cast, director prep ‘Intimate Apparel’
Be Boyd, an associate professor in the theater department of Orlando’s University of Central Florida, teaches the plays of two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, but has yet to stage one of her plays professionally. That is until now, when she directs Intimate Apparel at Palm Beach Dramaworks, opening Friday, April 1. She eagerly agreed to the assignment, calling … [Read more...]
Delray Playhouse serves up sharp thriller with ‘Deathtrap’
By Dale King For a play that focuses largely on murder, Deathtrap is really a pretty fun show. Not good clean fun, though. This chilling whodunit penned by Ira Levin (Rosemary’s Baby, Stepford Wives) now playing at the Delray Beach Playhouse does involve the spilling of substantial theatrical blood. What’s probably most enjoyable about Deathtrap is the fact that it … [Read more...]
‘Adam Project’ gets lost in the Garden of Edenic cliché
Having made it through every CGI explosion, glib one-liner and mawkish revelation of Shawn Levy’s The Adam Project (now on Netflix), I feel I owe Moonfall a partial apology. Roland Emmerich’s bonkers apocalypse picture from earlier this year was an embarrassment on every creative and technical front, but at least it embraced its badness. It seemed, like its self-replicating … [Read more...]
FAU Theatre Lab takes on dark side of childbirth in ‘Overactive Letdown’
The birth and care of a newborn baby is usually depicted in plays and movies as a blessed event. But Miami-based playwright Gina Montet knows that is not always the case. So, after researching the subject and having children of her own, she wrote Overactive Letdown, a look at the dark side of childbirth. An audience favorite at the 2020 New Play Festival of Florida Atlantic … [Read more...]
‘Compartment No. 6’: Accidental couple at best when story stays on rails
We’ve read enough mysteries and seen enough thrillers to know by now that, in fiction, by and large, nothing good ever happens on a train. Corpses appear; ladies vanish. Don’t get us started on Snowpiercer. True to form, misery and dread seem to be the traveling companions for Laura (Seidi Haarla), a rudderless Finnish exchange student voyaging solo on a locomotive from … [Read more...]