Musicals are rarely cynical, but then there is Chicago, a snarky look at our justice system as seen through a pair of accused murderesses awaiting trial in the Cook County jail, circa the late 1920s. Perhaps the show’s appeal stems more from its Bob Fosse-inspired choreography and its John Kander-Fred Ebb score than from the snide script Fosse co-wrote with lyricist Ebb. … [Read more...]
Songwriter Tori Amos makes stop at Kravis on Saturday
A funny thing happened to popular music through the 1990s. In the early to middle portion of the decade, the heavy, male-centric Seattle grunge movement with Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains dominated. From the middle to end of the decade, though, practically disparate female pop artists took over. And not just female singers, but singer/songwriters who … [Read more...]
‘Ain’t Too Proud’: Vocally stunning bio of Temptations offers overstuffed menu
By Dale King If thoughts of Detroit are rattling around in your mind, it probably means you’re pondering one of two things --- cars or music. And if you’re hankering for some of the best rhythm and blues tunes on the planet, your destination should be the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, where the jukebox musical, Ain’t Too Proud --- the … [Read more...]
Alonzo King Lines Ballet’s ‘Deep River’ stuns Kravis audience
When you find yourself searching for any adjective that would give justice to the level of spectacular that you saw in performance, you realize what you saw was truly unique. This was the case on March 3 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. One could feel the authenticity in the program presented by Alonzo King Lines Ballet. In a one-night-only performance as part … [Read more...]
‘Pretty Woman’ musical sticks too close to its movie model
Since romance is a cornerstone of the musical theater, perhaps it was inevitable that Pretty Woman — the most popular rom-com of all time — would make its way to Broadway It did so in 2018, thanks to an adaptation by Garry Marshall and J.F. Lawton — the film’s director and screenwriter, respectively — as well as a score by Canadian pop composer Bryan Adams and his frequent … [Read more...]
Atlanta Symphony delivers outstanding evening of Beethoven, Sibelius at Kravis
By Márcio Bezerra As the most prestigious musical institution in the Southeast, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra needs no introduction. For 78 years, the orchestra has established itself as a major American ensemble and one hopes that, under the new leadership of Music Director Nathalie Stuzmann, it will be able to expand its musical horizons by featuring a more varied … [Read more...]
Reflecting Fools bring back political parody at fraught time
Among the victims of COVID-19, at least in the world of entertainment, has been the popular political satire troupe, The Capitol Steps, which could not survive the two years of performance pause. But since nature abhors a vacuum, a new company, dubbed DC’s Reflecting Fools, has cropped up to take its place. And since the Fools feature song parodies by Mark Eaton – who … [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 classical music
There has been a profound change in the world of classical music over the past two or three years when it comes to programming. Although South Florida will still welcome touring orchestras bearing gifts of symphonic favorites, the post-George Floyd world has had a bracing effect on the kinds of music presented to today’s concertgoers. Programs now feature more Black and … [Read more...]
Season Preview 2022-23: The season in dance
This past summer was particularly hot and grueling everywhere, but the gradually arriving change in the weather will also usher in a very cool South Florida season of dance. Here are the details: Miami City Ballet: The ballet company has big plans for its 2022/23 season of dance. Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez, who has been leading the organization for the past 10 seasons, … [Read more...]