By Dale King Student actors at Florida Atlantic University have tapped a Broadway blockbuster --– the breakthrough musical Rent --- to wrap up their Summer Repertory Theatre season. Playing through July 31 at Studio One on FAU’s Boca Raton campus, Jonathan Larson's Rent is based loosely on Giacomo Puccini's 1896 opera, La Bohème. The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, which … [Read more...]
LW Playhouse’s ‘Heathers’ brings offbeat story vividly to life
By Dale King Lake Worth Playhouse continues to exercise its theatrical muscle by bringing unorthodox plays to its main stage in downtown Lake Worth Beach. Since the COVID pandemic eased, show planners have presented such quirky entries as Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a gender-bending two-person performance, and We Will Rock You, an idiosyncratic collection of tunes by the … [Read more...]
PB Shakespeare Fest’s ‘Richard II’ persuades with strong lead performances
As my high school history teacher once drummed into my head, the only reason to study history is if it has something to say about contemporary times. The rule applies well to Shakespeare’s Richard II --- the first history play that Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival has tackled in its 32 years of existence --- a tale of malevolence. power and the uneasy transition of power. So … [Read more...]
Letter from New York: Grateful for ‘Company’ revival, sorry about production choices
NEW YORK -- The late Stephen Sondheim is arguably the greatest composer-lyricist that Broadway has ever produced, and certainly the most meticulous and exacting. Yet whenever called upon by others to revise his work, he seemed more than willing to do so. Think of the London production of Follies that Cameron Mackintosh wanted to be less downbeat. Or his new lyrics for his … [Read more...]
PB Shakespeare Festival takes on ‘Richard II’ in its first history-play foray
For 32 years, the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival has been exploring the works of its namesake playwright, but has avoided his history plays. Until now. From July 7 through the 17th, at Jupiter’s Carlin Park Seabreeze Amphitheater, and again at Royal Palm Beach’s Commons Park Amphitheater, July 21–24, the Festival will present the Bard’s Richard II, his first history play … [Read more...]
‘Time Stops,’ new musical set for Kravis, chronicles grief and overcoming
There are many ways to respond to grief. Take Emma Portman, the central character in a new musical having its world premiere this month at the Kravis Center’s Rinker Playhouse. When her daughter dies, Emma works through the pain of her loss by writing a musical that projects what the girl’s life might have been had she lived. But Emma’s healing soon halts as the realms … [Read more...]
FAU’s student cast ably takes on Simon’s ‘Brighton Beach Memoirs’
By Dale King Summer has arrived, and while most college students have gone home for a school break or to earn tuition money for the coming year, Florida Atlantic University’s Department of Theater and Dance has kicked off its annual Summer Repertory two-show festival. The first entry is a play that concludes this week. The second is a musical scheduled to open in … [Read more...]
Camp classic ‘Irma Vep’ lights up Island City Stage
By Dale King The Mystery of Irma Vep is a high-octane, mystery/thriller/satire that’s getting plenty of guffaws from summer audiences at Island City Stage in Wilton Manors. The show is peculiar in its uniqueness. Playwright Charles Ludlam, a pillar of the LGBTQ+ community for his contributions to literature and stage shows during his AIDS-shortened career as an actor and … [Read more...]
Letter from London: Trump tale makes for canny look at America’s past, future
In the 50 years that I have been going to London, the city has gone through major changes. The skyline is drastically different. The culinary choices have become far more sophisticated. What once was a bargain for tourists has since become one of the world’s most expensive cities. But one thing has remained constant – London was and still is one of the greatest places … [Read more...]
‘Summer’ revives disco queen’s energy, but lazy book is anything but hot stuff
In the same way that Andy Warhol predicted we will each have 15 minutes of fame, it is starting to look like every pop singer-songwriter and vocal group will have a biographical jukebox musical. And while some fared poorly on Broadway – Summer: The Donna Summer Musical lasted a mere eight months in New York – there is such a demand for product at performing arts centers across … [Read more...]