One of the great “what if” tales of stage and screen wonders what if Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, the youngest princess of the Russian Romanovs, did not die with her family in 1918 during the bloody Russian Revolution. And what if she resurfaced 10 years later to reunite with her dowager grandmother and claim the clan’s fortune? The story has fascinated audiences for … [Read more...]
LW Playhouse’s ‘Mousetrap’ delivers Christie’s goods, deftly
By Dale King If Agatha Christie murder mysteries are your cup of tea, grab a mug of Earl Grey – hot – and take a seat among the many audience members at the Lake Worth Playhouse for a run of Christie’s top-notch tale, The Mousetrap. A talented cast that delivers the playwright’s goods with aplomb keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. The old English drawing room set … [Read more...]
‘Luna Gale’ at Boca Stage tackles big issues, underwhelmingly
Following closely upon its satire of Big Pharma, Rx, Boca Stage now takes a jaundiced look at the bureaucracy of the social safety net in Rebecca Gilman’s Luna Gale. At the play’s center is a stressed-out, overburdened Cedar Rapids social worker named Caroline, whose caseload includes meth addicts Karlie and Peter, parents of the title baby. We first encounter them in an ER … [Read more...]
Appreciation: Remembering Sally Kellerman
The news that Sally Kellerman, who will forever be remembered for her Oscar-nominated role as Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H, died Thursday brought back memories of a lunch I shared with her back in 1995. She was about to star as Mame Dennis in the musical Mame at the then-called Jupiter Theatre, long before Milton Maltz came on the scene. Her … [Read more...]
‘The Duration’: World premiere play deftly examines shadows of 9/11
Can it really be 20 years since the events of 9/11, a day so etched in our memories that it feels like yesterday? Perhaps by now Audrey Batten’s well-earned anger and bitterness have subsided, but in Bruce Graham’s world premiere play, The Duration — which initially takes place mere days after the destruction of the Twin Towers — her grief has the highly rational history … [Read more...]
New Kravis CEO: Let’s program for the community
Cue the arrival of the new Kravis Center chief executive officer. Take two. When the longtime head of the West Palm Beach performing arts center, Judith Mitchell, announced that she was retiring, it triggered a nationwide search for her successor. Eventually, Terrence Dwyer, a veteran southern California arts manager, was selected, but he lasted a mere five months during … [Read more...]
Slow Burn’s lovely ‘Once on This Island’ another winner for company
Two seasons ago, Slow Burn Theatre almost produced the epic Stephen Flaherty-Lynn Ahrens musical, Ragtime, but COVID got in the way. Perhaps they will get back to that show one day, but fans of the songwriting team should be pleased with the company’s current musical offering, Once on this Island, a spirited tale of the power of love, class distinctions and godly interventions, … [Read more...]
Hewitt’s Barrymore makes Maltz’s ‘I Hate Hamlet’ a must-see
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre never expected to start its season with Paul Rudnick’s puckish comedy, I Hate Hamlet, but such as the vagaries of COVID and construction. Still, when you think about it, what better way to welcome back its audience than with this tongue-in-cheek celebration of theater and of the man who wrote with such peculiar, stilted, yet soaring language – William … [Read more...]
World premiere ‘The Duration’ at Dramaworks takes on 9/11 legacy
As we continue to deal with the dark cloud of the COVID pandemic, Palm Beach Dramaworks wants us to look back 20 years to another tragic time in our history — September 11, 2001 — the day two airplanes flew into the Twin Towers in Lower Manhattan and 3,000 lives were lost. It is the event that motivates Bruce Graham’s drama The Duration, receiving its world premiere at PBD on … [Read more...]
DB Playhouse’s ‘Respect’ a delightful tribute to the journey of women
By Dale King As the undisputed Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, has sung repeatedly with deep sisterly inspiration, all women want “is a little respect.” Eight ladies have taken to the stage at the Delray Beach Playhouse this month to “tell it like it is” — the history of women in America, that is, in a finely tuned, thought-provoking and often humorous story of how women … [Read more...]