By Dale King Tommy rocks. The stellar performers at Lake Worth Playhouse pull out all the stops to stage an energetic version of the rock musical Tommy, based on The Who’s 1969 double album. The tale of the “deaf, dumb and blind kid” who became a pinball wizard explodes on stage with nearly two dozen players backed by the screaming guitar of Ben Brown and three other … [Read more...]
Dramaworks’ Beautiful ‘Night Music’ perfect for your Florida summer night
From the 1970s — Stephen Sondheim’s most creative period, the decade of his major collaborations with director Harold Prince — comes A Little Night Music, their lush, irony-fueled tale of the follies of love. It kicks off Palm Beach Dramaworks’ latest summer of staged concerts, a hybrid format that trades in scenic challenges for evocative, stage-wide projections and focuses in … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: July 17-19
Film: You’ve got to wonder whose idea it was to release Bill Condon’s first-rate, literate and cerebral Sherlock Holmes tale, called simply Mr. Holmes, in the middle of the summer when it is bound to be crowded out by superhero blockbusters and dazzling animation. Had it been released in the fall, it would surely be vying for Oscars and other awards, particularly for Ian … [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...]
Community theater: ‘Sisters of Swing’ brings Andrews Sisters back, memorably
By Dale King Sisters of Swing, the musical biography of the famed Andrews Sisters now playing at the Broward Stage Door Theatre, is an entertaining bit of harmonious history, a tuneful testament to how three sisters from Minnesota broke free from the pack of mid-20th century vocal groups to create an unforgettable sound that captured the heart of a nation. The show wraps 20 … [Read more...]
Theater roundup: ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ ‘Casa Valentina’
Slow Burn Theatre forged its reputation producing offbeat, underappreciated musicals, like Bat Boy, Urinetown and Parade. Whether it is a switch of missions or simply a pause, the Boca Raton troupe recently served up the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Rent and is now having fun with the very entertaining Little Shop of Horrors — the 1982 hit that remains the most … [Read more...]
Community theater: Dated ‘Barefoot in the Park’ holds up well at Delray Playhouse
By Dale King In just a few days, the Delray Beach Playhouse will close the doors on its 68th season. Summer camp kids will take over the venue for a while, then the theater opens again for its 69th season of live mainstage performances in October. There’s still time to catch the final show of the season. Barefoot in the Park, an endearing early-career effort from prolific … [Read more...]
Community theater: ‘Charming ‘Bell, Book and Candle’ at Broward Stage Door
By Dale King Were it not for playwright John Van Druten’s whimsical, witty, witch story, Bell, Book and Candle, our TV screens may never have had shows like Bewitched, Charmed or Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. Movie screens may have never seen the likes of Harry Potter’s world of wands and wizardry without a Van Druten connection. In the very capable hands of Broadway-schooled … [Read more...]
Theater reviews: ‘Lady Day,’ ‘Dames at Sea’
' With many a stage biography of a show business legend, there is the rise to stardom from humble roots and then the frequently inevitable descent in the second half of his or her life. Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, an intermissionless biographical nightclub act of the great jazz singer-songwriter Billie Holiday – born Eleanora Fagan – is almost entirely descent. The … [Read more...]
Community theater: Gritty, powerful ‘Cabaret’ closes LW Playhouse season
By Dale King If you’ve never seen the musical Cabaret, you still have time to catch the show at Lake Worth Playhouse before this well-tooled performance about sordid pre-war Berlin closes with a matinee Sunday. And if you’re already seen Cabaret, you are strongly advised — no, make that urged — to return. The Lake Avenue venue wraps up its 2014-2015 season with a production … [Read more...]