By Erik Kvarnberg Originally written during the time of McCarthyism, Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible (1953) turns a mirror onto the masses with a story about the Salem Witch Trials. “Producing this play now is more timely than when it first premiered in the 1950s,” said William Hayes, who is directing the show for Palm Beach Dramaworks during its current run through … [Read more...]
‘Camping With Henry and Tom,’ at Dramaworks, a trip worth taking
Suppositional history is a specialty of playwright Mark St. Germain, as he demonstrated in Freud’s Last Session, The Best of Enemies and Camping with Henry and Tom, plays of fiction that bring together notable real-life characters, unconstrained by any knowledge of what actually occurred at their meetings. A case in point is Camping With Henry and Tom, which explores a … [Read more...]
‘The People Downstairs’ is a smart new take on Anne Frank’s story
One of the great works of literature of the 20th century is The Diary of Anne Frank, a saga of courage and endurance in the form of a journal by a 14-year-old Jewish girl who hid from the Nazis with her family and others in a cramped Amsterdam attic. But what about those non-Jews in the office below who heroically risked their lives abetting these stowaways? That is the … [Read more...]
‘White Guy on the Bus’ engages, unsettles at GableStage
Remember the song from Avenue Q that chirps that “Everyone’s a little bit racist”? That is the premise as well of Bruce Graham’s unsettling contemporary drama, White Guy on the Bus, now receiving a powerful area premiere at Coral Gables’ GableStage. Expertly directed by Michael Leeds, who orchestrates a top-notch cast led by Tom Wahl – the eponymous “white guy” – the play … [Read more...]
Two playwrights take center stage in world premiere ‘Billy and Me’ at Dramaworks
Two years ago, Palm Beach Dramaworks’ producing artistic director Bill Hayes was doing his usual detailed research in preparation for staging William Inge’s Pulitzer Prize winner, Picnic. And he came upon the intriguing fact that Inge saw a tryout performance of The Glass Menagerie by a young, brash writer with the unlikely name of Tennessee Williams. Seeing that play … [Read more...]
‘Finding Mona Lisa’ a wry look at the power of art
The point is made several times: The portrait that has captivated the world for 500 years, arguably the most famous painting in history, is merely “oil on wood.” But when Leonardo da Vinci applied the wood with 30 layers of oil paint, he created an image of La Gioconda, the silk merchant’s wife with the inscrutable smile, that continues to fascinate us. The alchemy of art … [Read more...]
Entertaining ‘Georgia McBride’ anything but a drag
Measured by the usual hard-hitting fare at GableStage, Matthew Lopez’s The Legend of Georgia McBride isn’t much of a play, but it does have the makings of one hell of a drag show. Sure, you could argue that the 90-minute evening is a celebration of the tawdry lower depths of show business and a look at how one unlikely cross-dresser gets in touch with his feminine side, but … [Read more...]
McKeever’s ‘After’ a taut, powerful look at bullying
Extremely prolific South Florida playwright Michael McKeever has now written two plays ripped from the headlines, yet humanized for increased impact. His earlier Daniel’s Husband, which concerns itself with gay marriage and the legal complexities of that institution, is off-Broadway-bound this spring. His latest, called simply After, is about bullying and school violence. It … [Read more...]