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...]
O, say are you soused: ‘Drinking in America’
American history books rarely mention alcoholism as a significant historical issue. From the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock to the presidency of Richard Nixon, liquor influenced and continues to influence American society and politics. Susan Cheever has excellent credentials, having written extensively about her own battle with alcoholism and that of her father, the writer John … [Read more...]
You’re looking swell, Lee Roy: ‘Dolly’ in drag is a triumph
Certain roles are simply owned by their originators, whose memorable performances cast a shadow over all those who dare attempt to fill their shoes. Like, say, Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly! But at The Wick Theatre, as reverent as Lee Roy Reams is to the Jerry Herman-Michael Stewart musical and to those who walked down that red velvet staircase before him, he will have you … [Read more...]
PB Opera Young Artist ready for Donizetti main role
When she got the word, Bridgette Gan was ready to go. As a member of the Palm Beach Opera’s Young Artists Program, Gan was preparing to cover the central role of Marie in the company’s production of Gaetano Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment, which opens Friday. But Erin Morley, the soprano scheduled to sing the role in two of its performances, had come down with a cold, and it … [Read more...]
At Festival of the Arts Boca: Richard Ford returns with Frank, thanks to Sandy
The novelist and short story writer Richard Ford lives in Maine, with a small apartment in Harlem for the two days a week he teaches at Columbia University. So of course he’s looking forward to his visit to Boca Raton on Sunday — but not for the reasons you might expect. He’s more interested in spring training baseball than in escaping the brutal weather in the Northeast. “I’m … [Read more...]
Drummer Olsson ready to return to road with Elton John
Even if you know drummer Nigel Olsson’s name, you may not know he’s worked with the Spencer Davis Group, Uriah Heep, Jimmy Webb, Neil Sedaka, Linda Ronstadt, Rod Stewart, Rick Springfield, Leon Russell, Helen Reddy, Bob Weir, Barry Manilow, Kenny Rogers, Toto, and B.B. King. But you’d likely know the singular Olsson association that overshadows those. The 66-year-old has been … [Read more...]
Powerful ‘I and You’ at Arts Garage saves a surprise for last
The second shoe to drop in Theatre at Arts Garage’s “Celebration of Women’s Voices” season is Lauren Gunderson’s compact, crafty two-hander, I and You, which arrives with the badge of this year’s $25,000 Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award. Reviewers, perhaps more than civilian theatergoers, enjoy being surprised and Gunderson more than obliges on … [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...]
Theater roundup: ‘Fiddler’ at the Maltz, ‘Chorus Line’ at the Crest, ‘Mame’ at the Wick
Director-choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge does not settle for reproducing the work of her Broadway predecessors, as she previously demonstrated with her fresh takes on Hello, Dolly! and The King and I at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre. Now, as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of Fiddler on the Roof, she received special permission to not be tethered to the — admittedly … [Read more...]
2014-15 arts preview: The season in Palm Beach County art
Whether you are an artist or an admirer of beauty, you should thank the lucky stars (and planets) for aligning once again to bring Palm Beach County robust art by local and international artists. It is not the most exciting lineup ever, but as usual diversity is the big hero saving us from the villain: predictability. That there will be something for everyone is always good … [Read more...]