By Dale King For a rock ‘n’ roll good time, Grease is still the word. Delray Beach Playhouse has thrown open the doors of Rydell High School, circa 1959, for a mid-summer theatrical stint powered with teen-generated energy that shakes the rafters of the venerable playhouse on the east shore of Lake Ida. With book, music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, Grease … [Read more...]
DB Playhouse shows Simon’s ‘Plaza Suite’ still has plenty of life in it
By Dale King Anyone who thinks Neil Simon’s vast body of theatrical writing just doesn’t cut it anymore or doesn’t pack the same oomph it once did must see Plaza Suite — the final production of the season at the Delray Beach Playhouse. It will most definitely change their minds. DBP has chosen one of Simon’s most enduring, albeit a shade dated, comic presentations to wrap … [Read more...]
Christie spoof offers reliable laughs at Delray Playhouse
By Dale King If you manage to snag a ticket to the very view-worthy comedic musical mystery Something’s Afoot at the Delray Beach Playhouse before it drops the final curtain Feb. 12, lend an ear to a song called “I Owe It All,” which should provide an overview of where this production is coming from. The bouncy melody, shared in mutual musicality by most everyone in the … [Read more...]
‘Villainous Company’ a taut three-hander for Delray Playhouse opener
By Dale King Delray Beach Playhouse certainly loves a mystery. The venerable showhouse on the shore of Lake Ida opens its 76th season with a production of Villainous Company, a show whose title literally screams that something illicit is afoot. And it certainly is, as the audience gradually, but, in the end, surely finds out in this 90-minute production played with no … [Read more...]
Guest troupe’s ‘La Cage’ a crowd-pleaser at Delray Playhouse
By Dale King A theatrical production long delayed by the COVID pandemic has finally opened for a two-weekend run at the Delray Beach Playhouse. Three months before DBP officially begins its 75th season, the venerable venue on Lake Ida turns its stage over to the Barclay Performing Arts Theater for a run of Jerry Herman's gender-bending musical, La Cage aux Folles. A … [Read more...]
Delray Playhouse’s ‘Same Time, Next Year’ ends season with sweet accomplishment
By Dale King Delray Beach Playhouse is wrapping up its 75th anniversary season with a gem of a show, a production so nicely packaged and executed that it may remain on the minds of audience members until autumn brings a new roster of main stage performances. The showhouse on the east shore of Lake Ida is currently presenting Bernard Slade’s romantic comedy, Same Time, … [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...]
DB Playhouse’s ‘Respect’ a delightful tribute to the journey of women
By Dale King As the undisputed Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, has sung repeatedly with deep sisterly inspiration, all women want “is a little respect.” Eight ladies have taken to the stage at the Delray Beach Playhouse this month to “tell it like it is” — the history of women in America, that is, in a finely tuned, thought-provoking and often humorous story of how women … [Read more...]
Christie whodunit opens DB Playhouse season in witty style
By Dale King The Delray Beach Playhouse marks its 75th anniversary with the COVID-delayed opening of its 2021-22 season of mainstage productions, kicking off with A Spider’s Web, a delightfully wry and redoubtable Agatha Christie whodunit. The DBP, on the east shore of Lake Ida, fully opens in January with the addition of Lunch Club Matinees and a schedule of Classic Rock … [Read more...]
Sharp Delray Playhouse cast sizzles in ‘Stage Struck’
By Dale King The Delray Beach Playhouse has historically done a very good job producing mystery thrillers. Wait Until Dark comes to mind immediately. So does Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced, which opened the 2018-2019 season. And folks with a longer theatrical memory may recall Blackout, an original work that premiered at the DBP in 1988 and encored just a few … [Read more...]