Actors Frances Sternhagen and Richard Henzel, playwright Israel Horovitz and dramaturg Alison Maloof in a post-show discussion about Beverley. By Hap ErsteinNow five years old, Florida Stage’s annual 1st Stage New Works Festival got the most important thing right immediately.Where too many reading series elsewhere are dead ends for the scripts being unveiled, the … [Read more...]
Theater roundup: Riveting ‘Angry Men,’ half-accomplished ‘Cane’
The cast of Twelve Angry Men. By Hap ErsteinThe “golden age of television” of the 1950s produced many classic dramas that went on to further acclaim in other media.Think of Requiem for a Heavyweight, or Marty, or The Miracle Worker. Certainly earning a spot on that list is Reginald Rose’s dramatized civics lesson, Twelve Angry Men, which the Maltz Jupiter … [Read more...]
Theater feature: Florida Stage tackles the art of raising ‘Cane’
Gregg Weiner (above) and David Nail in Cane.By Hap ErsteinTwo years ago, Palm Beach County was under dire drought conditions, with a water supply estimated to last only 21 days. It was a desperate situation, but how do you create a play about it without it seeming like a, pardon the expression, dry discourse?That is the challenge that Florida Stage has … [Read more...]
Theater commentary: Miami mayor tale stands out at 1st Stage New Works Festival
By Hap Erstein Fewer and fewer theaters these days devote themselves to producing new plays, as Florida Stage does, because they take nurturing and development, which is hard work.But the Manalapan company has come up with a entertaining way to include its audience in the process with its 1st Stage New Works Festival. Now in its third year, the festival gave six new … [Read more...]