Horatio, Lord Nelson (1758-1805), by Lemuel Abbott. The Master Chorale of South Florida closed its current season with a remarkably energetic and gritty Haydn mass that said positive things about the chorus and augured good things for its future. Joined by a chamber orchestra from the Lynn Philharmonia in its concert May 1 at Lynn’s Wold Center for the Performing Arts, the … [Read more...]
Strong MCB company sparkles in Program III
Tricia Albertson and Miami City Ballet dancers in Year of the Rabbit. (Photo by Daniel Azoulay) By Tara Mitton Catao Miami City Ballet gave yet another sparkling performance Saturday afternoon at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. The company was in excellent form — dancing with command — in Program Three, which was an elegant and richly satisfying selection of works … [Read more...]
Strong singing makes for thrilling ‘Norma’ at FGO
Florida Grand Opera’s current production of Norma, Vincenzo Bellini’s beloved bel canto singfest from 1831, has a little something extra for its patrons: An added aria by Richard Wagner. But it already has the basic thing it needs, and that’s thrilling singing. Working off a strong directorial vision from Nic Muni, FGO’s Norma features standout vocal work from its four chief … [Read more...]
Olson leads strong cast in Broward Stage Door’s ‘Gypsy’
By Dale King The musical Gypsy is a compendium of ultimates and ultimatums. It focuses on a quintessential stage mother who tries like crazy to squeeze stardom into her two daughters, yet she pitches a fit when the young ladies find fame and seem to leave her in the dust. The 1959 musical, based loosely on the memoirs of famed stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, and pulled together for … [Read more...]
Strong Slow Burn cast can’t save ‘Dogfight’ from its meanness
I think we can agree that anything can be turned into a musical, but you start with two strikes against you when you endeavor to adapt material as mean-spirited and misogynistic as Dogfight. That was the task undertaken by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, a pair of young composer-lyricists whose Broadway debut show, A Christmas Story, looks geared to be revived annually at holiday … [Read more...]
Community theater: Strong cast keeps ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ wacky
By Dale King Lake Worth Playhouse is riding the crest of some first-class theatrical productions this season. The one that drops the final curtain on its three-week engagement Sunday is one of the best, a classic dark comedy from the 1930s that still packs lots of laughs today. Arsenic and Old Lace is one of a dozen plays by Joseph Kesselring — and easily his best. The 1941 … [Read more...]
Hampson in strong voice and smart selection at Four Arts
Great opera stars have extended their careers for many years with lieder recitals, and they have a vast repertory of art song to choose from. America’s baritone, Thomas Hampson, came to the Four Arts on Feb. 11 with a lieder recital. The debonair singer is surely one of our finest ambassadors. Still active operatically in 2015, Hampson will be singing on stage in New York, … [Read more...]
Strong lead performance helps improved ‘Flashdance’
Likely to be familiar from the movies is the tale of Pittsburgh steel mill welder Alexandra “Alex” Owens, wearer of the iconic one-shoulder sweaters in 1983’s Flashdance. Despite the box office underperformance of its kindred spirits — Footloose, Fame and Saturday Night Fever — here comes another music-based flick trying to make the transition to a stage show, and perhaps to … [Read more...]
Danielpour quartet makes strong impression at Delray SQ
The string quartet remains the vessel into which composers since the days of Haydn have poured their deepest thoughts, perhaps because there is something about the intimate, confessional sound of the four instruments that encourages it. On Sunday afternoon, the Delray String Quartet offered a fine contemporary example of serious string-quartet writing with a performance of the … [Read more...]
Community theater: Strong performers lift comfort-food ‘Over the River’
By Dale King There is practically nothing original in the theme of Joe DiPietro’s 1998 play, Over the River and Through the Woods. That’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s kind of refreshing. The show being staged through Sunday at the Delray Beach Playhouse is as comfortable as a broken-in pair of shoes; as fulfilling as a spaghetti dinner just like Mamma used to make. An … [Read more...]