Comedy, as they say, is tragedy that happens to someone else. And the calamities that are happening just beyond an apartment in Inwood, N.Y., and all around the globe — the effects of climate change, economic distress, the rise of white supremacy militias, rioting and looting — are nothing if not calamitous. Yet in Last Night in Inwood, now receiving its world premiere at … [Read more...]
‘Last Night in Inwood’: World premiere play suggests an all-too-real nightmare
The year was 2016 and graduate student Alix Sobler needed to write a play for her master’s thesis. “I write comedy, but the world was in a real state at that moment,” she recalls. “The election between Clinton and Trump was at its height. Things felt really off-balance and I wanted to reflect that onstage in a way that was going to be accessible to audiences.” The … [Read more...]
Literature provides connection in touching ‘Dorothy’s Dictionary’
Words and books are the cherished domain of Dorothy Ross, a former librarian now confined to a convalescent home with an unspecified but serious medical condition and failing eyesight. She is at the center of Dorothy’s Dictionary, a touching, charming, funny and sad new play by E.W. Lewis, now receiving its world premiere in a gently effective production at Florida Atlantic … [Read more...]
‘Dorothy’s Dictionary’: Premiere play at FAU explores power of literature, connection
Ellen Lewis is not really sure what started her writing Dorothy’s Dictionary, the two-character play that will have its world premiere at Florida Atlantic University’s Theatre Lab next week (Nov. 19), but she knows she wanted to create a script about “books and words and libraries and the power of stories. All that is kind of what I’m made of,” she says. What emerged … [Read more...]
Season Preview 2022-23: The season in theater
Now that the COVID 19 pandemic is in the rearview mirror – we hope – South Florida’s theaters are looking ahead to their first full season of productions in several years. So below is a look at what is scheduled, taken in geographic order from north to south, from Jupiter to Coral Gables. Last season, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre was hit with a double whammy of COVID and … [Read more...]
Season Preview 2022-23: The season in theater
Now that the COVID 19 pandemic is in the rearview mirror --- we hope --- South Florida’s theaters are looking ahead to their first full season of productions in several years. So below is a look at what is scheduled, taken in geographic order from north to south, from Jupiter to Coral Gables. Last season, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre was hit with a double whammy of COVID … [Read more...]
FAU Theatre Lab’s retake on Red Riding Hood delights in wonder of theater
Vital to the vocal interaction between the performers in Allison Gregory’s Red Riding Hood and the preschool and elementary aged audience members at Florida Atlantic University’s Theatre Lab is the tots’ familiarity with the classic fairy tale. Granted that they have never seen it presented in such an offbeat and playful manner, but --- at the opening matinee, at least --- they … [Read more...]
FAU Theatre Lab takes on dark side of childbirth in ‘Overactive Letdown’
The birth and care of a newborn baby is usually depicted in plays and movies as a blessed event. But Miami-based playwright Gina Montet knows that is not always the case. So, after researching the subject and having children of her own, she wrote Overactive Letdown, a look at the dark side of childbirth. An audience favorite at the 2020 New Play Festival of Florida Atlantic … [Read more...]
COVID shelves more shows: ‘Sweet Charity,’ ‘Last Night in Inwood’
Two more theater troupes have postponed or canceled shows as the omicron variant of the novel coronavirus continues its spread across the country. “Due to the recent surge of Omicron,” the Maltz Jupiter Theatre has announced further changes to its grand reopening season. The COVID-19 variant has delayed the completion of the $36 million building renovation, causing the … [Read more...]
COVID postpones ‘Summer,’ ‘Gypsy’ as omicron takes its toll
COVID-19 is playing havoc with local theater schedules. Breakthrough omicron cases have been reported within the company of the touring show Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, which was scheduled to play the Kravis Center this week as part of its Broadway series. The show has now been rescheduled for May 20-26, with tickets for the new performance dates to be mailed out … [Read more...]