Neil Sedaka was a prolific singer/songwriter of the 1950s and 1960s, but few of his catchy hit tunes could be described as theater music. Yet for the past 15 years, thanks to that frequently popular subgenre known as the jukebox musical, he has enjoyed a new revenue stream from a show of his collected songs called Breaking Up Is Hard to Do. The title also happens to be the … [Read more...]
‘Sh-Boom!’ offers mild 1950s fluff at The Wick
When Marilynn Wick, executive managing producer of her eponymous Boca Raton theater, pulled the plug on a planned mounting of the musical Damn Yankees for financial reasons, she went looking for a less expensive, easier-to-produce show. And as the saying goes, “You get what you pay for,” in this case a piece of 1950s jukebox fluff called Sh-Boom! Life Could Be a Dream. That … [Read more...]
Like Mama Rose herself, Wick’s ‘Gypsy’ soldiers on
Many shows in South Florida have had to be canceled or postponed because of the COVID pandemic, but the Wick Theatre’s production of the musical Gypsy has toughed it out and barreled on – just like its leading character, Mama Rose Hovick, the ultimate stage mother. Veteran director Norb Joerder has dozens of shows to his credit, but he has never experienced anything … [Read more...]
COVID postpones ‘Summer,’ ‘Gypsy’ as omicron takes its toll
COVID-19 is playing havoc with local theater schedules. Breakthrough omicron cases have been reported within the company of the touring show Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, which was scheduled to play the Kravis Center this week as part of its Broadway series. The show has now been rescheduled for May 20-26, with tickets for the new performance dates to be mailed out … [Read more...]
Flimsy but hugely popular, ‘Mamma Mia!’ wins over Wick audiences
Popularity doesn’t always go hand-in-hand with quality. Consider Mamma Mia!, which ran nearly 14 years on Broadway, the ninth longest running show in the commercial theater. But this lazy jukebox musical is built from songs by the Swedish pop group ABBA that only occasionally coincide with the show’s credibility-stretching plot. Still, did I mention that it ran nearly … [Read more...]
TV’s ‘Shirley,’ Cindy Williams, to debut one-woman retrospective at Wick
A not-so-funny thing happened to Cindy Williams on her way to the Wick Theatre. COVID-19. Not only did the comedienne most closely associated with the long-running sitcom Laverne & Shirley contract the deadly virus — she’s fine now — but the production of Nunsense that would bring her to Boca Raton had to be canceled. As Williams recalls, it was Dan Goggin, the … [Read more...]
Season Preview 2020-21: Theaters mostly in hiding for season
Although Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared the state’s playhouses safe to reopen, the area’s theater companies are less than comfortable with the notion of getting up and running again. Most have canceled their 2020-2021 seasons, some in favor of a presence online with streaming options. A few have pushed their openings to next year with a shortened season of offerings. And … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Sept. 12-13, 2020
Film: Just in time with the opening of movie theaters in Palm Beach County comes the season’s most anticipated release, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. Anything from the writer-director who gave us the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Memento and others would be a must-see, but Tenet is his most ambitious and audacious film yet. Part science fiction, part spy-versus-spy action … [Read more...]
Area’s theaters exploring the question: What now?
Optimism tempered by uncertainty is the mood of area theater companies, which project several possible scenarios for re-opening their playhouses and getting back to producing shows, based on what the government will allow. While champing at the bit to be up and running, to have subscribers and single-ticket buyers return, their plans to restart vary over time, with options that … [Read more...]
Local arts organizations hopeful even as future looks bleak
By Jan Engoren When the Cannes Film Festival is canceled and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is projected to lose $100 million after closing down because of the coronavirus, the impact on the arts and culture all over the world is significant. And Palm Beach County is no exception. While many sectors are suffering, arts organizations and cultural … [Read more...]