Don’t feel bad if you have not read Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Neither had Gordon Greenberg, who co-wrote and directs the new comic version of the classic vampire tale in a world premiere at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, opening tonight. “And guess what? I still haven’t,” he concedes shamelessly. “Wikipedia is great,” Greenberg adds, referring to the online compendium from which he … [Read more...]
Season Preview 2019-20: ‘Hamilton’ might be hottest ticket, but area theaters have plenty of worthy shows planned
There are plenty of interesting productions looming in the area this season, but the hottest ticket is unquestionably Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, at the Kravis Center in late January and then the Arsht Center the following month. Do what you have to to get tickets. You didn’t need that right arm anyway. A year ago, the Stage Door Theatre was readying a move to a larger, … [Read more...]
Teens in summer Maltz program tackle ‘Romeo and Juliet’
By Jan Engoren What do teenagers know about love? Apparently, a lot, as the original Romeo and Juliet were star-crossed teenagers. At the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, teen students are getting the chance this month to show they know what it’s all about in a youth production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. One of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, the plot – if you’ve … [Read more...]
Theater: The 2019 Summer Season
Summer used to be a time when local theaters went on vacation and area performers, directors and designers recharged their batteries. Nowadays, many South Florida theaters run year-round or at least have one hot weather show and/or showcases for its student training programs. So consider avoiding the summer superhero movies in favor of live theater, like the following … [Read more...]
Maltz’s ‘West Side Story’ will reflect current anti-immigrant climate
Puerto Rico-born Marcos Santana has long admired the musical West Side Story, yet he finds it unbalanced. “The Jets definitely have more presence through the entire play than the Sharks,” he says, referring to the American street gang versus those who grew up in his native island. “I still love this show, but there was always something inside of me saying, ‘This … [Read more...]
Exemplary Maltz cast brings Ibsen up to date
Sequels are the all-too-frequent domain of the movies, but relatively rare in the theater except for Shakespeare and his history plays. Still, Henrik Ibsen seemed to be expecting a follow-up to A Doll’s House, with its famous final door-slamming ending, one of modern drama’s most renowned cliffhangers. What did happen to Nora Helmer after she walked out on her husband … [Read more...]
Nora’s back: Ibsen revisited, at the Maltz
In 1879, when feminist Nora Helmer – the main character in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House – slammed the front door and walked out on her husband and family, it is generally agreed that she opened another door, to the start of modern drama. Ibsen’s play ended there, but what happened to Nora afterwards, as she tried to forge a life as a single woman in a Norwegian society … [Read more...]
Maltz’s ‘Mamma Mia!’ exuberant and delightful
There’s a party going on at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, a high-energy, high-stepping blast grafted onto a score of pre-existing hit songs by the Swedish pop rock group ABBA. And it goes by the name of Mamma Mia! As long as you do not mind that this show’s musical numbers only occasionally seem specific to the story line, you can have a giddy, good time at Mamma Mia’s … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Jan. 18-20
Film: You would be understandably wary of the latest John C. Reilly movie if you made the mistake of seeing Holmes & Watson recently, but his latest buddy picture, Stan & Ollie, is really quite entertaining. No, really. Reilly plays Oliver Hardy to Steve Coogan’s Stan Laurel in a biography that focuses on the latter years of their performance partnership as they toured Great … [Read more...]
It’s not ‘Hamlet,’ Fernando, but ‘Mamma Mia!’ will delight you, Maltz cast says
Will the Maltz Jupiter Theatre have to replace its carpeting after its four-week run of the ABBA jukebox musical Mamma Mia!, a show known for inciting audiences to dance in the aisles? “You can see them wanting to get out of their seats,” says performer Mary Mossberg, veteran of a national tour of Mamma Mia! and two other productions. “There’s an undeniable chemistry to … [Read more...]