Barry Shabaka Henley in Satchmo at the Waldorf. (Photo by Alicia Donelan) Actors like one-man shows because they present opportunities for them to display their performance versatility and stamina. Producers like one-man shows because they, by definition, have low payrolls. If only there weren’t those darned reviewers, for whom one-man shows are the bane of their existence, … [Read more...]
Stellar cast shines in Broward Stage Door’s ‘Evita’
By Dale King Evita, the rock opera conceived by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice at the height of their musical collaboration, has been packaged, repackaged and committed to celluloid since it was released as a concept record album 40 years ago and hit the stage in London two years later. Director Michael Leeds and choreographer Kevin Black return to the … [Read more...]
Community theater: ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ gets Lake Worth Playhouse season off to charming start
By Dale King Lake Worth Playhouse jumps spiritedly into the new theatrical season with a top-notch production of Meet Me in St. Louis, the 1989 musical drawn from the fabled 1944 same-name film starring Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien. The show that has played on and off Broadway follows the Smith family — dad, mom, four daughters, a son and a grandpa. The comfortable, … [Read more...]
Theater roundup: ‘Hamlet,’ ‘George M!’
Celebrating its 25th anniversary season, Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival reaches for its namesake playwright’s best known — and best — work, Hamlet. And though the company is still reeling from the loss of its most skilled actor, director and dramaturg, Kevin Crawford, the current production points to a future for the classical troupe beyond him. Kyle Schnack, a reliable … [Read more...]
Aniston’s performance not enough to lift heavy ‘Cake’
As the praise for Jennifer Aniston’s performance in Cake continues to reverberate across awards season, it begs the question: Are voters bestowing these hosannas on the acting, or the makeup? I’ll submit that that the distinction lies with the latter, that it represents another case of misapplied plaudits. Voting blocs love when actors step out of their comfort zones, and this … [Read more...]
‘It’s just so human’: ‘La Bohème’ to open PB Opera season
If your task is to direct the most popular opera ever written, you might not have to stretch your conceptual-overhaul muscles all that much. “It’s a traditional opera that’s OK to keep traditional. You don’t get bored with it,” said Fenlon Lamb, who is directing Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, Palm Beach Opera’s season opener. “Coming to this and knowing it was going to be … [Read more...]
Tonys question: Why not celebrate theater community, as is?
Since the Tony Awards telecast is more about marketing Broadway than it is about handing out statuettes for excellence, it is only fitting that awards were spread out to 13 different shows, each of which can hang out the Tonys shingle for whatever box office boost that is worth. As expected, there was no dominant winner Sunday night, with the revival of Hedwig and the Angry … [Read more...]
Hap’s (not-so-) fearless Tony predictions
Oy, this is not a good year for sticking one’s neck out and predicting the Tony winners this Sunday evening (8 p.m., CBS-TV). There are no front-runners, like The Book of Mormon, which won in every category in which it was nominated and pundits could look prescient. I’m thinking the honors are going to be spread around so that all shows can have bragging rights and a chance … [Read more...]
Sundays: NSFW (Not safe for whatever)
By Myles Ludwig The smut bomb has finally been dropped. And it turns out to be one of the most powerful cordless screwdrivers in the NSA’s Craftsman toolbox of surveillance techniques and useful dirty tricks. Certainly, this latest revelation from the Snowden treasure chest of purloined documents has sent a chill up the collective spines of every man in the world with … [Read more...]
Juried show easy to like, not so easy to remember
The underappreciated local artist ought to thank the Boca Raton Museum of Art for the 61st time. That’s how many times the museum has opened its doors to emerging talent through its annual All-Florida Juried Competition and Exhibition, the state’s oldest such exhibit. The good news is there are plenty of artists in Florida. This year’s juror, Valerie Cassel Oliver, senior … [Read more...]