Brad Oscar as the master of humbug himself in Maltz Jupiter Theatre's Barnum.By Hap ErsteinBarnum, the bouncy oom-pah band biographical musical, has been rarely revived since it first landed on Broadway in 1980, in part because of the circus skills required of its cast and the quadruple-threat abilities -- singing, dancing, acting and tightrope-walking -- needed by whoever is … [Read more...]
Bests of 2008: Theater
Nanique Gheridian (center) stole the show inPalm Beach Dramaworks' production of 'Benefactors.'By Hap Erstein 1. Master Class (Maltz Jupiter Theatre) — The interweaving of the life of opera great Maria Callas, her tempestuous public coaching sessions and Terrence McNally’s musings on the nature of art makes for exciting theater, but it needs a powerful actress in the … [Read more...]
Theater review: “Sleuth” at Maltz Jupiter: Gimmick and riddle-laced detective challenge
By Hap ErsteinComing close on the heels of its production of the farce Noises Off, Anthony Shaffer’s Sleuth is the second straight play performed at Maltz Jupiter Theatre that takes great timing, precision and skill to pull off.Like Noises Off, the northern Palm Beach County company’s Sleuth has its shortcomings, but gets enough right that it is still well worth seeing. In both … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks
Sean Penn (center) stars as Harvey Milk in Milk.FILM: The year-end Oscar deadline is approaching, so the studios start rolling out their prestige product, like Milk, the superb biography of openly gay San Francisco board of supervisors member Harvey Milk, played by Sean Penn in an award-worthy performance and directed by Gus Van Sant in a career comeback. Opening locally on … [Read more...]