Creative limitations can lead to positive results. Take, for instance, I Love a Piano, a revue built from the song trunk of pop composer-lyricist Irving Berlin which dates back to 1990, the year after he passed away at the age of 101. Applying to the Berlin estate for the performance rights of his musical library for a one-night AIDS benefit, the show’s co-creators Ray … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2023
‘Wait Until Dark’ comes up short at Boca Stage
Murder mysteries and suspense plays, like Frederick Knott’s 1966 Broadway hit Wait Until Dark, are by definition gimmicky contrivances. But if they are tightly written and carefully staged, they can be quite entertaining. As revived by Boca Stage, which has moved its operations to the Delray Beach Playhouse, this saga of blind housewife Susan Hendricks --- menaced by … [Read more...]
Beloved whodunit ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ to open Maltz season
JUPITER — What do you get when you cross a popular murder mystery by Dame Agatha Christie with the comedy of Tony and Olivier Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig? You get a serio-comic stage version of Murder on the Orient Express, the often-filmed whodunit, chosen to open the season of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 2. What explains the enduring … [Read more...]
2023-24 Season in Classical: Season looks abundant across genres and venues
Even with the loss of one orchestra’s Palm Beach County concerts (the Atlantic Classical Orchestra, which will stick to Stuart and Vero Beach this time around), the upcoming classical season is hard to complain about, with its roster of major ensembles and performers, several world premieres, and a deep lineup of compelling music across the genre spectrum. Here’s how that … [Read more...]
2023-24 Season in jazz: It’s harder to find, but good jazz will still enrich season
Since the dawn of the all-encompassing non-genre now known by the blanket term “pop,” and specifically since the popularity surges of Elvis Presley and the Beatles, it’s become increasingly difficult for jazz musicians to get substantial paying gigs. Even pop players have since become relegated to legacy acts, but jazz — which has been called “America’s classical music” — … [Read more...]
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’: Scorsese’s innovatory masterpiece
The autumn of Robert De Niro’s extraordinary career has been a period of prolific emptiness — an assembly-line churn of comedies about dirty and eccentric old men whose titles are as interchangeable as their content. Thank goodness, then, for Martin Scorsese and scant other directors, who still realize that De Niro is a vessel for a certain strand of dark magnetism, a shadowy … [Read more...]
Slow Burn shows its worth with outstanding ‘Into the Woods’
Of the many musicals by the late, great Stephen Sondheim, some are more grisly (Sweeney Todd), more esoteric (Pacific Overtures) and more personal (Merrily We Roll Along), but few are as audience-friendly and ultimately profound than Into the Woods. Collaborating with James Lapine, the master composer-lyricist mashes up several familiar fairy tales – Cinderella, Red … [Read more...]
2023-24 Season Preview: Metropolitan Opera in HD
By Robert Croan Three operas composed in the last five decades, all Metropolitan Opera premieres, will be featured in the coming season’s The Met: Live in HD’s 2023-24 season, live simulcasts in high-definition cinemas nationwide and abroad. The series is a valuable adjunct to live performances available in South Florida, offered by Florida Grand Opera in Miami’s … [Read more...]
2023-24 Season in Opera: Area’s companies play it (mostly) safe
It’s fair to say the world of opera is in flux, with the nation’s preeminent company, New York’s Metropolitan Opera, sharply modernizing its repertoire, and locally, with the three opera houses pulling back from innovation somewhat and sticking with box-office certainties. Palm Beach Opera The West Palm Beach-based company opens its 62nd season with the most reliable … [Read more...]
2023-24 Season in Dance: A rich and varied lineup on tap
The lineup for the upcoming season of dance in Palm Beach County is looking full and varied. Sprinkled throughout our regular favorite dance events, there will be some not-to-be-missed repeats of last season’s highlights as well as some exciting performances that are here for only one night. Miami City Ballet Miami City Ballet begins the season early, performing the first … [Read more...]