Although the word "communion" brings to mind the Catholic ritual of accepting the body and blood of Christ, Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor seems more interested in its alternate definition, “the sharing or exchanging of mental or spiritual thoughts or feelings.” For there is plenty of such sharing – as well as withholding – in MacIvor’s Communion, receiving its regional … [Read more...]
Three strong women aim for ‘Communion’ at Primal Forces
Keith Garsson and his Primal Forces theater company are on the move again. After a season and a half at Delray Beach’s Arts Garage, which then dropped its theater program, he returned to Andrews Living Arts in downtown Fort Lauderdale. But after one show there, it too suspended production. So Garsson packed up again and moved across town to Empire Stage, where he opens the … [Read more...]
Maltz’s ‘Hairspray’ is an irresistible blast
Of the many movies that have been adapted into stage musicals, John Waters’ subversive cult comedy, Hairspray, seemed unlikely to make the transfer successfully. But eight Tony Awards and a 6½-year, 2,642-performance run on Broadway later, such doubts have been put firmly to rest. And if subsequent regional productions fare as well as the high-energy, hard-driving pop rock … [Read more...]
Strong leads put sizzle in ‘Flashdance’ at Broward Stage Door
By Dale King Flashdance: The Musical, is alive, well and playing to packed houses at the Broward Stage Door Theatre in Margate, 25 years after welder by day, “flashdancer” by night, Alexandra “Alex” Owens blew the specs off a panel of snooty judges to win admission to a terpsichorean academy by way of a sexed-up jazz dance performed in a tight, black body suit and leg … [Read more...]
Fosse’s magic returns to Kravis in popular ‘Chicago’
More than a mere show, the revival of John Kander and Fred Ebb’s Chicago has grown into a phenomenon. Having run 8,795 performances since opening in 1996, it is not only the longest-running revival in Broadway history, but the longest-running American show of any kind there. The musical has also proven popular locally, in several engagements at the Kravis Center, where it … [Read more...]
Three first-class principals drive Wick’s ‘Singin’ in the Rain’
Many shows have been adapted from popular movies, but few, if any, have been so slavishly copied as Singin’ in the Rain. Notice, for instance, that instead of a credit for the musical book, the program lists “Screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green,” an indication of how little the film’s script has been changed. And while that screenplay worked like gangbusters in … [Read more...]
Wick brings beloved ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ to the stage
In polls of moviegoers and film critics, 1952’s Singin’ in the Rain is invariably voted the best movie musical of all time. Similarly, the stage adaptation of the love story surrounding the early days of Hollywood talkies has been voted the show that Wick Theatre audiences most want to see. So in the spirit of giving them what they want – and in an effort to, as the film and … [Read more...]
Sharp performers pull off manic ‘Gentleman’s Guide’ at Broward Center
What’s with the class-conscious Brits and their enduring fables of impoverished blokes suddenly discovering that they are noble-born? That was the plot of 1937’s Me and My Girl as well as a more recent confection from three years ago, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. In the latter, commoner Monty Navarro not only learns of his exalted lineage, but also that he … [Read more...]
Hoffman revisits ‘Too Jewish?’ at PGA Arts Center
By Dale King Avi Hoffman, the familiar singer, actor, comedian, storyteller, master of shtick and supporter of Jewish causes, is back on stage in Palm Beach County. He has dusted off his 24-year-old production of Too Jewish? And after tweaking, revising and refurbishing it, he’s performing it again, this time at the PGA Arts Center in Palm Beach Gardens. “‘Too Jewish?’ … [Read more...]
The Hapsters 2017: The lowlights and bright spots
There are many ways to look back on the past year in local theater, and with The Hapster Awards, now in their 28th year, we have chosen the (mostly) snide route. The envelopes, please. Remember Blues in the Night? You know, that critically acclaimed musical revue starring Avery Sommers and Laura Hodos? Of course you don’t remember, because the management of Delray’s … [Read more...]