By Dale King Next to Normal – the musical now being staged at the Lake Worth Playhouse – pulls no punches in its powerful portrayal of a woman haunted and dismayed by mental illness and the misery it inflicts on her loved ones. The show is frank and overt, focusing not only on the woman’s unpredictable behavior, but also on the plenitude of pills she consumes, the … [Read more...]
Sharp cast shines in ‘Deathtrap’ at LW Playhouse
By Dale King Deathtrap, the wryly comic mystery by author/playwright Ira Levin (Rosemary’s Baby, Stepford Wives), is at once easy and hard for a reviewer to critique. The 1978 production won a Tony for Best Play, and begat a 1982 movie about the selfsame playwriting duo from the stage production that longs to create a ragingly successful Broadway thriller, even if blood … [Read more...]
LW Playhouse’s ‘Patsy Cline’ a memorable, tuneful two-hander
By Dale King Not all of us remember Patsy Cline, the country vocalist whose powerful voice, often measured in tearful tones, vocalized poignant stories in song. But we know her music, even 58 years after she died in a plane crash while returning to her home in Nashville the same year John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Her legacy of tunes is still golden, even in the 21st … [Read more...]
Spunky, sharp ‘Annie’ takes away our hard-knock life at Lake Worth Playhouse
By Dale King Not every stage show can be introduced with the phrase, “Ten months in the making.” But that’s how Lake Worth Playhouse Artistic Director Daniel Eilola launched Annie when it opened this past weekend at the Lake Avenue performance center. It’s the first live production at the venue that’s been shuttered and vacant since the global coronavirus epidemic struck … [Read more...]
Theater: The 2019 Summer Season
Summer used to be a time when local theaters went on vacation and area performers, directors and designers recharged their batteries. Nowadays, many South Florida theaters run year-round or at least have one hot weather show and/or showcases for its student training programs. So consider avoiding the summer superhero movies in favor of live theater, like the following … [Read more...]
Actor Colombel preps cabaret show, ‘Pardon My French!’, for LW Playhouse
Remember Tangi Colombel, the puckish, bald French performer whose American debut at Palm Beach Dramaworks 14 years ago in the Carbonell Award-winning musical, Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, that also earned him a Curtain Up Award as Outstanding New Performer? It turns out he is alive and well and living in Palm Beach Gardens, having forged a … [Read more...]
Season Preview 2018-19: Community theater
By Dale King Autumn has officially arrived in South Florida, a sure sign that community theaters throughout Palm Beach County are readying their performance schedules for a new slate of programs. Most open this month. Delray Beach Playhouse has launched its 72nd season, said executive director Kevin Barrett, who’s entering his second year at the helm of the showplace … [Read more...]
‘Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun?’: A harrowing look at a racist cold case
In October of 1946, a white, racist Alabama shop owner named S.E. Branch fatally shot a black man named Bill Spann in the rural town of Dothan, 18 miles from the Florida line. He was charged with first-degree murder but did not serve time. Scant information about this crime exists outside of Spann’s death certificate, but documentary filmmaker Travis Wilkerson, who is S.E. … [Read more...]
2016-17 Season Preview: Community theater
By Dale King The venerable theatrical venues in Delray Beach and Lake Worth open their 2016-2017 seasons in October, offering a schedule of old, new, comic and classic productions. Both community theaters are marking major milestones. Located on the shore of Lake Ida, Delray Beach Playhouse turns 70 this year. And Lake Worth Playhouse at 713 Lake Ave. downtown is … [Read more...]