Arguably more than any other musical, memories of 1964’s Funny Girl have been so dominated by its original Broadway star – Barbra Streisand – that there has never been a major revival of the show. But audiences at the Wick Theatre in Boca Raton voted the Jule Styne-Bob Merrill musical biography of vaudeville vocalist and clown Fanny Brice (1891-1951) the show they most … [Read more...]
Actresses make ‘Having Our Say’ an unmissable conversation
With presentational monologue plays – either one-person shows or sweet duets like Emily Mann’s Having Our Say – the question usually comes to mind, “Who are these characters talking to?” But in the case of Sadie and Bessie Delany, two centenarian African-American sisters who break the theatrical fourth wall from the start of their rambling, but endearing verbal tour of … [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...]
Energetic cast makes it happen for Estefan bio ‘On Your Feet!’
Add the names of Gloria and Emilio Estefan to those of Frankie Valli, Carole King, Donna Summer and Cher, singers and songwriters whose lives have been enshrined lately in biographical jukebox musicals. For the Estefans, the show is called On Your Feet!, which ran on Broadway for a more than respectable 746 performances – nearly two years – from 2015 to 2017. Soon after … [Read more...]
‘Having Our Say’ offers powerful history, rebuke for our present
Actresses don’t usually like to reveal their ages, but we can assume that Avery Sommers and Karen Stephens are younger than 103 and 101, the ages they play in Having Our Say, the oral biographies of Sadie and Bessie Delany at Primal Forces theater in Boca Raton, beginning Jan. 11. The Delanys were two African-American sisters whose century-long lives span the … [Read more...]
Hap’s year in review: 2018’s best in film and local theater
Ten best lists are notoriously subjective, but here are my bests in film and theater for 2018. Go ahead, argue with me. Make my day. FILM 1. Green Book – Yes, it is an odd couple road trip movie, but director/co-writer Peter Farrelly (right, the guy who gave us Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary) takes those familiar tropes and turns them into a slyly … [Read more...]
At Broward Center, ‘Hamilton’ shows it deserves the hype
If only my American history teacher taught with the same energy, passion and wit that Lin-Manuel Miranda brings to the tale of founding father Alexander Hamilton, I might have paid more attention in class. Surely you have heard of the monumental success of Hamilton, a cultural phenomenon by any measure. The biographical musical won 11 Tony Awards as well as the Pulitzer … [Read more...]
Touring ‘Dolly!’ reminds us just how strong this show is
The year was 1964 when composer-lyricist Jerry Herman, playwright Michael Stewart and director-choreographer Gower Champion adapted Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker into one of the high points of what we now look back on as the golden age of the musical theater. The show, of course, was Hello, Dolly!, which became, for a while at least, the longest-running production … [Read more...]
Community theater: ‘1940s Radio Hour’ proves stylish entertainment at DB Playhouse
By Dale King If you’re searching for a slice of holiday entertainment that’s sweet as a Christmas cookie, smooth as a glass of eggnog and nutty as the proverbial fruitcake, The 1940s Radio Hour is colorfully packaged and ready to regale you at the Delray Beach Playhouse through this weekend. This engaging production created by Walton Jones includes a variety of World War … [Read more...]
Character is fuel for Kessler’s new ‘House on Fire’
The gravitational pull – and push – of family is at the heart of Lyle Kessler’s comic drama, House on Fire, now receiving its world premiere at Palm Beach Dramaworks after years of in-house development. Prodigal son Colman reluctantly returns to his Fishtown Philadelphia home, a baseball memorabilia-cluttered abode, after 10 years away from his toxic father. But now the … [Read more...]