As word association goes, if I said “Neil Simon,” chances are you would respond “comedy.” After all, there has been no more commercially successful purveyor of comedies in American history. Yet some of his best plays came in the latter half of his career when Simon learned to hold back on punch lines and wade into deeper, more heartfelt, dramatic waters. … [Read more...]
‘Trying’: Overlong play at Dramaworks rescued by impressive performances
Even the greats of government service will eventually succumb to the physical and mental ravages of age. So it is with Francis Biddle, the former attorney general under Franklin Roosevelt and chief American judge of the Nuremberg war trials. By the time we meet him in Joanna McClelland Glass’ biographical play Trying, he is 81 and a decrepit shell of his former self. … [Read more...]
‘Death of a Salesman’ shows Dramaworks at its best
In its 25 years of existence, Palm Beach Dramaworks has gradually altered its emphasis toward the development of new work. But seeing its current, emotionally shattering production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman reminds us that what it does best is tackle the major classics of the American theater, particularly the Pulitzer Prize winners. Seventy-five years ago, … [Read more...]
Brilliant ‘Lauren Fein’ at Dramaworks deserves widest possible stage
Even if the world premiere play’s title, The Cancellation of Lauren Fein, did not give away the fate of its central character, there is an inevitability to the metaphorical noose relentlessly tightening around her neck. Justice may not be well-served by the escalating accusations against the renowned genetic biology professor, but theatrical impact certainly is. For more … [Read more...]
‘Cancellation of Lauren Fein’ brings culture wars to Dramaworks in world premiere play
Cancel culture, the effort to hold prominent individuals accountable for perceived verbal slights or deeds, has become increasingly prevalent in contemporary life. So perhaps it was inevitable that the phenomenon would make the leap from the headlines to the stage, as it does in The Cancellation of Lauren Fein, premiering at Palm Beach Dramaworks beginning this Friday, Feb. … [Read more...]
Dramaworks’ ‘The Messenger’ proves powerful, topical
By Sharon Geltner Palm Beach Dramaworks is achieving a lot of significant firsts. It is emphasizing new plays. And it just staged (it ran Dec. 8-24) the world premiere of The Messenger, scripted by its first residential writer, Jenny Connell Davis. The four-character, 100-minute play is about a Hungarian Holocaust survivor teaching math in Southern California who is … [Read more...]
Ethical dilemmas on the ground floor: First-rate cast lifts Dramaworks’ ‘Lobby Hero’
Four flawed characters populate the otherwise vacant lobby of a Manhattan residential apartment building in Kenneth Lonergan’s compelling if meandering comic drama Lobby Hero. Each of them has justification for his moral transgressions, but we soon begin to question whether any of them deserves the designation of hero. Unlikely to merit hero status is the play’s … [Read more...]
2023-24 Season in Theater: A post-COVID lineup full of promise
With COVID safely in the rear mirror and audiences back attending theater, the 2023-2024 South Florida season looks quite promising, with full schedules, numerous world premieres and several companies celebrating significant anniversaries. Here’s how the theater scene is shaping up, moving geographically from north to south. With its playhouse expanded, the Maltz … [Read more...]
Dramaworks takes ‘natural’ step, hires in-house playwright
At a time when many regional theaters are decreasing their staffs because of COVID, the economy and shrinking attendance, Palm Beach Dramaworks has a new hire. Producing artistic director William Hayes has announced the addition of the company’s first resident playwright, Jenny Connell Davis, whose Holocaust-themed drama The Messenger will have its world premiere at the … [Read more...]
Challenging two-hander ‘Topdog/Underdog’ packs punch at Dramaworks
Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks has more important things on her mind, but one takeaway from her 2002 Pulitzer Prize winner, Topdog/Underdog, is surely to be careful when you name your children. For their father, as a perverse joke, named his two African-American sons Lincoln and Booth. As a result, they have been pitted against each other throughout their lives and … [Read more...]