Michelle Pereira, Dana Dawson, Eric Collinsand Irene Adjan in Some Kind of Wonderful.By Hap ErsteinFor no particular reason other than its aging Baby Boomer audience — of which I am one, by the way — Florida Stage has commissioned a musical revue of the pop song hits of the years 1960 to 1965 to fill its summer show slot. The result is called Some Kind of Wonderful, a … [Read more...]
New York postcard No. 5: A long day’s journey into ensemble comedy
Stephen Mangan in The Norman Conquests.By Hap Erstein NEW YORK -- Most of the peak theatergoing experiences of my life have been all-day marathon events, like Angels in America (in its Los Angeles tryout), the Royal Shakespeare Company's Nicholas Nickleby and Tom Stoppard's The Coast of Utopia two seasons ago on Broadway.Saturday, I had another such peak viewing thrill, … [Read more...]
Theater review: ‘Jersey Boys’ a jukebox musical for all seasons
The cast of Jersey Boys sings Sherry.By Hap ErsteinAs genres go, the jukebox musical rarely gets much respect. These shows built from existing songs, often of one particular composer or performer, usually come up short in critical admiration or awards. Think of Mamma Mia! (pasted together from the ABBA trunk) or All Shook Up (Elvis).A distinct exception is Jersey Boys, the … [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...]
Theater review: ‘The Weir,’ Irish things that go bump in the night
Dennis Creaghan (left), Lena Kaminsky, Karl Hanover,Frank Converse, Declan Mooney in Palm BeachDramaworks' production of The Weir. (Photo by Shel Shanak)By Hap Erstein Put a handful of Irishmen in a bar and they will soon be drinking and swapping lyrical tall tales. It is a fact of life and of the theater, as evidenced by Conor McPherson’s simple, plotless, yet haunting … [Read more...]