Eric Mendenhall and Elizabeth Birkenmeier inThe Cha-Cha of a Camel Spider.By Hap ErsteinWhether or not the pen is truly mightier than the sword, playwright Carter W. Lewis is out to prove in his enigmatically titled The Cha-Cha of a Camel Spider that slam poetry can trump a mercenary private army.If that sounds like an unlikely match-up, then you are grasping the … [Read more...]
Theater feature: ‘Blasted,’ ‘Mack and Mabel’ win big at 35th Carbonells
Joe Adler and the cast of Blasted, which won Best Play for GableStage at Monday night's Carbonell Awards.By Hap ErsteinLast night’s 35th annual Carbonell Awards ceremony had a curious, unscripted recurring theme -- actor Todd Allen Durkin’s private parts.I guess we should have seen it coming -- the theme, not the naughty bits -- since he did appear full … [Read more...]
Theater roundup: Two by Tracy Letts
The cast of August: Osage County, at Actors’ Playhouse. By Hap ErsteinIn order to maximize the chances of being produced in these precarious economic times, most writers now limit themselves in their plays’ cast size and physical requirements.But every now and again comes an Angels in America or a Coast of Utopia, from playwrights who dare to think on a grand … [Read more...]
Theater roundup 2: Provocative ‘Clybourne’; a star turn for Gless
Kenneth Kay and Patti Gardner in Clybourne Park. By Hap ErsteinAfrican-Americans have federally sanctioned civil rights and the nation voted a black man into the White House. So we must have made substantial advances towards racial equality and co-existence since Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 stage drama, A Raisin in the Sun, haven’t we?Not necessarily, suggests … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Jan. 21-23
Sharon Gless in A Round-Heeled Woman.(Photo by George Schiavone) Theater: Although it is a little lighter than the usual fare at Coral Gables’ GableStage, the cutting edge company has a crowd-pleasing winner in Jane Prowse’s A Round-Heeled Woman, based on the true story of Jane Juska. In her mid-60s, she places an ad soliciting men to have sex with her, adding … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Oct. 22-24
/Sledding in Central Park (1912), by William Glackens. Art: The Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale received a major bequest almost 20 years ago from Ira Glackens, who at his death in 1991 left the estate of his father, William Glackens, to the museum. This has formed the basis of a major collection of work by a group of American painters known as The … [Read more...]
ArtsPreview 2010-11: The season in theater
Andrew Rosendorf, playwright of Cane, at Florida Stage.By Hap ErsteinAfter a successful summer debut at the Kravis Center, Florida Stage unveils its first subscription season in the Rinker Playhouse, including several world premieres. Meanwhile, there is a new Miami company with its own troupe of actors, the Caldwell continues to dig out of its money woes with a … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Sept. 4-7
Self-Portrait (1889), by Vincent van Gogh.Art: One of the most revelatory, absorbing art shows I’ve ever seen was The Studio of the South, an exhibit exploring the relationship between Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin and the work they created while briefly living together in the French town of Arles in late 1888. I caught it at the Art Institute of Chicago … [Read more...]
Theater review: ‘Speech and Debate’ is GableStage’s youth movement
Jackie Rivera, David Dearstyne and Ryan Didato in Speech and Debate at GableStage. (Photo by George Schiavone)By Hap ErsteinAlthough he must have been absent in playwriting class the day they covered creating enticing titles, Stephen Karam demonstrates his skill with contemporary dialogue and the angst of today’s youth in the breezy, comic Speech and Debate.While … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: June 25-27
Ryan Didato, David Dearstyne and Jackie Rivera in Speech & Debate. (Photo by George Schiavone)Theater: Gable Stage’s Joseph Adler is often eager to showcase new talent, as he does with Stephen Karam’s Speech & Debate, which features three recent graduates of Miami’s New World School of the Arts -- Jackie Rivera, Ryan Didato and David Dearstyne -- … [Read more...]