By Dale King Other People’s Money is a gritty drama, a modern-day tale of greed and financial seduction with just a smidgen of mirth. The 1989 play by Jerry Sterner attracted sold-out crowds to the Delray Beach Playhouse through most of its three-week run, which ended Sunday. The production focuses on the planned hostile takeover of a long-established, but out-of-date, … [Read more...]
Community theater: An enchanting ‘South Pacific’ at LW Playhouse
By Dale King Lake Worth Playhouse wraps up its much too-short, three-week run of the musical South Pacific with a matinee today. It’s the final time, at least for now, that the powerful baritone voice of lead actor Michael Cartwright will resound so beautifully across the lushly decorated seashore stage with touching Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II tunes like “Some … [Read more...]
Community theater: Joyous energy from ‘Five Guys Named Moe’ at Broward Stage Door
By Dale King The Broward Stage Door Theatre celebrates the holiday season and New Year with Five Guys Named Moe, a high-octane, high-stepping, song-and-dance-filled tribute to song master Louis Jordan, whose talent for diversity in music drove the golden spike in the track connecting swing and jazz with early rock ’n’ roll. The production that literally shakes the stage … [Read more...]
Community theater: Strong performers lift comfort-food ‘Over the River’
By Dale King There is practically nothing original in the theme of Joe DiPietro’s 1998 play, Over the River and Through the Woods. That’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s kind of refreshing. The show being staged through Sunday at the Delray Beach Playhouse is as comfortable as a broken-in pair of shoes; as fulfilling as a spaghetti dinner just like Mamma used to make. An … [Read more...]
Community theater: At LW Playhouse, a reunion with Felix and Oscar
By Dale King A half-century ago, playwright Neil Simon concocted slovenly Oscar Madison and paired him with neat-freak Felix Ungar to create The Odd Couple, a comic powerhouse that has endured across stage, film and television (where Felix’s last name was spelled Unger). Perhaps the oddest thing about The Odd Couple franchise is that the original Simon play, which premiered … [Read more...]
Community theater: Delray Playhouse’s ‘Wait Until Dark’ provides good suspense
By Dale King Delray Beach Playhouse draws deeply from the well of suspense for its opening production of the 2014-2015 season, Frederick Knott’s thriller, Wait Until Dark. The play that saves the best spine tingles for last will conclude its three-weekend run Sunday. The drama kicks off the 68th season for the playhouse located on the shores of Lake Ida. Wait Until Dark … [Read more...]
Community theater: ‘Legally Blonde’ bubbly at LW Playhouse
By Dale King Summer theater offerings are often a mixed bag, with top-notch productions generally saved for the return of Florida’s seasonal visitors. Not so with Lake Worth Playhouse. The play selectors there have chosen a delightful and surprisingly entertaining show, Legally Blonde, the Musical, which plays through July 27 at its downtown venue. Don’t go running like … [Read more...]
Community theater: Broward Stage Door’s ‘Hello, Muddah’ deserves more laughs
By Dale King For a fleeting couple of years in the early 1960s, Allan Sherman was at the top of his game in the field of creating song parodies. His 1962 album, My Son the Folk Singer, became the fastest-selling LP recording up to that time, and put Sherman on the fast track to fame. He would record seven more albums, each falling a little or a lot short of the previous. … [Read more...]
Community theater: Fine ensemble delivers powerful ‘Doubt’ at Delray Playhouse
By Dale King Delray Beach Playhouse wraps up its 67th season with a presentation of Doubt, the taut, bare-knuckle drama that rivets audience members for the duration of its 90-minute, one-act story ripped from contemporary headlines. It runs through Sunday. Penned by John Patrick Shanley, Doubt examines the tense interplay between a tough, iron-willed nun who strongly … [Read more...]
Community theater: ‘Over the River’ delights at Broward Stage Door
By Dale King Joe DiPietro’s play Over the River and Through the Woods is comfort food for the soul. It’s delightfully funny, but comes with a helping of drama and a garnish of pathos. The concoction shows how the elders in a closely knit Italian-American family in New Jersey deal with a “crisis.” And, of course, a crisis could be anything that doesn’t fit into their … [Read more...]