The three one-act playlets of Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite have two things in common. They all take place in Suite 719 of New York’s swank Plaza Hotel and they all have a jaundiced view of marriage. OK, two more things. They each run a little too long for their own good and they each feel a little outdated in 2024. Plaza Suite hails from 1968, the fourth play by … [Read more...]
Simon’s ‘Plaza Suite’ not just for laughs, Maltz director says
You might think when the Maltz Jupiter Theatre takes a break from its usual musical menu to produce a comedy like Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite that the task is easier. Not so, says director J. Barry Lewis, the Maltz’s go-to guy when it comes to staging Simon’s plays. “They’re always a challenge, there’s no doubt about it,” he says. “It’s one of the oldest sayings in the … [Read more...]
‘Rooted,’ at Theatre Lab, sees actors dig rewardingly deep
Botany and belief systems, both real and dubious, are at the heart of Deborah Zoe Laufer’s Rooted, her latest exploration of life’s contradictions, served up with a strong measure of whimsy. Delivering her ultimately thoughtful outlook is a trio of eccentric souls whose search for meaning has them up a tree, quite literally. Consider Emery Harris, an unschooled … [Read more...]
Brilliant ‘Lauren Fein’ at Dramaworks deserves widest possible stage
Even if the world premiere play’s title, The Cancellation of Lauren Fein, did not give away the fate of its central character, there is an inevitability to the metaphorical noose relentlessly tightening around her neck. Justice may not be well-served by the escalating accusations against the renowned genetic biology professor, but theatrical impact certainly is. For more … [Read more...]
‘Cancellation of Lauren Fein’ brings culture wars to Dramaworks in world premiere play
Cancel culture, the effort to hold prominent individuals accountable for perceived verbal slights or deeds, has become increasingly prevalent in contemporary life. So perhaps it was inevitable that the phenomenon would make the leap from the headlines to the stage, as it does in The Cancellation of Lauren Fein, premiering at Palm Beach Dramaworks beginning this Friday, Feb. … [Read more...]
Green messiah: At Theatre Lab, Laufer’s ‘Rooted’ to explore mob mentality
Deborah Zoe Laufer gets a lot of ideas for her plays by listening to National Public Radio. That is certainly the case with Rooted, receiving its Florida premiere at FAU Theatre Lab, beginning this Saturday, Feb. 3. “I was listening to Radio Lab and there was a scientist, Monica Gagliano, on, talking about plant consciousness,” the idea that plants have innate … [Read more...]
LW Playhouse presents a rousing ‘Oklahoma!’
By Dale King If you’ve never ridden in a surrey with a fringe on top; if you’ve never viewed a sunrise and declared, “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” or if you’ve never bought a picnic lunch at auction to share with the lovely young lady who filled it with luscious goodies, then you’ve never enjoyed the wonderful music, rousing dance numbers and varied plot lines of the … [Read more...]
Boca Stage’s take on 1960s sex farce charms at Delray Playhouse
Moving further away from its original mission of producing edgy, offbeat theatrical fare, Boca Stage — now in residence at the Delray Beach Playhouse — serves up a popular commercial sex farce from the 1960s, Boeing, Boeing. If that title sounds familiar, perhaps you recall a 1965 movie version that starred Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis, or a 2008 Broadway revival in which … [Read more...]
‘To Life 4’ doesn’t innovate, but does please Willow Theatre audience
Why is To Life 4 different from all other previous editions, asks director/writer/narrator Shari Upbin in a phrasing that brings to mind a Passover seder. The answer is that it isn’t at all different and that seems to please the show’s fans just fine. The revue celebrating Jewish songwriters and performers, currently playing at the Willow Theatre in Boca Raton’s Sugar Sand … [Read more...]
Standout lead performance makes Carole King bio ‘Beautiful’
The beginning and ending of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical depict the legendary singer-songwriter at Carnegie Hall performing numbers from her multiple Grammy Award-winning album, Tapestry. If those scenes are the standout highlights of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s new production, that is because they show King at the peak of her writing talent, because the stunning … [Read more...]