The songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul will probably long be associated with the angst-riddled Tony Award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen. But five years before it arrived on Broadway, they wrote a whimsical adaptation of Jean Shepherd’s look back on his youth at holiday time, A Christmas Story. True, little Ralphie Parker obsesses over getting a Red Ryder … [Read more...]
Slow Burn’s production turns so-so ‘Shrek’ into a winner
How can you tell that the pot-bellied, antenna-eared green ogre named Shrek and assertive, yet incurably romantic Princess Fiona are meant for each other? They fart and burp with compatible pride. In the shorthand of musical comedy – well, in Shrek, the Musical at least – that means love. Chances are you know that already from the 2001 Oscar-winning Dreamworks … [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...]
The Hapsters 2017: The lowlights and bright spots
There are many ways to look back on the past year in local theater, and with The Hapster Awards, now in their 28th year, we have chosen the (mostly) snide route. The envelopes, please. Remember Blues in the Night? You know, that critically acclaimed musical revue starring Avery Sommers and Laura Hodos? Of course you don’t remember, because the management of Delray’s … [Read more...]
2017’s Top 10 in local theater
2017 was a strong year for theater in South Florida, particularly for musicals, though it wasn’t until I started to compile my 10 best list that I noticed how many musicals were among the standouts. Here is my highly subjective look back on the past 12 months from where I sat. 1. Arcadia, Palm Beach Dramaworks – Thermodynamics, mathematical algorithms, chaos theory and … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: May 6-7
Film: OK, it’s only early May, but in the world of movies it is already summer. The season officially begins this weekend with the arrival of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, and it comes recommended. Sure, it doesn’t have the surprise factor the first installment did in 2014, but writer/director James Gunn demonstrates that that earlier megahit was no fluke. A handful of … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Feb. 17-19
Music: Jazz vocalist Zoë Fromer has been making the rounds of South Florida for years along with her studies at the University of Miami, building a reputation as a fine stylist (here she is singing in chanson mode singing Charles Trenet’s “Menilmontant”). A native of Delray Beach, she’s making her last appearance in her hometown on Sunday night at Arts Garage before relocating … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Jan. 28-29
Film: Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey has come a long way from his lightweight romantic comedy days, taking on increasingly challenging roles and no longer concerned about how handsome he looks on screen. Take his performance in Gold as contemporary prospector Kenny Wells, a pot-bellied, balding, snaggle-toothed schemer who bets everything he has — and everything he can steal … [Read more...]
Slow Burn’s ‘Titanic’ stuns with beautiful singing
By a curious coincidence, 20 years ago — in 1997 — movie theaters saw the arrival of the epic film Titanic and Broadway’s big hit musical was also about the flagship of the White Star Line, the “largest moving object in the world.” Spoiler alert: In both works, the mammoth ocean liner hits an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sinks. (What, you knew that already?) But that … [Read more...]
Theater in 2016: The year’s 10 best
The best in theater for 2016 throughout South Florida yields a healthy mix of new work and classic scripts. Of course, any such list is by definition a subjective opinion, so your mileage may vary, but by any measure, it was a good year at the theater: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Kravis on Broadway) — The five-time Tony Award winner from the … [Read more...]