As Oscar Wilde is said to have said, “Nothing succeeds like excess.” Wilde lived in the late 19th century, the time period that Moulin Rouge: The Musical takes place, though he was born too early to see the musical, which is a perfect illustration of his aphorism. From Catherine Zuber’s sensuous costumes to Derek McLane’s fanciful, eye-popping sets to Justin Townsend’s very … [Read more...]
Maltz’s ‘Guys and Dolls’ competent but uninspired
By critical consensus, Guys and Dolls is as close to perfect as musicals get. Subtitled “A musical fable of Broadway,” it hails from 1950, when composer-lyricist Frank Loesser and book writers Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows adapted a couple of comic Damon Runyon tales of Times Square underworld characters. The show’s journey to Broadway was anything but smooth, yet the quality … [Read more...]
Wick’s ‘No, No, Nanette’ dusts off century to reveal sparkle beneath
Exactly a century ago this year, a trifle of a musical called No, No, Nanette arrived on Broadway and was acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, neither of which apparently wanted anything more than an excuse for some upbeat, hummable songs and captivating dance numbers. Fast forward to 1971, when the show had its cobwebs wiped away and its still-flimsy script somewhat … [Read more...]
‘Book of Mormon’ still hilarious, charming in third Kravis run
George S. Kaufman once observed that “satire is what closes on Saturday night.” But then he never met Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the two wags behind the comic boundary-pushing cable television show, South Park, and the musical, The Book of Mormon. In 2011, they brought their satirical and scatological sensibilities to Broadway with the latter, a brash send-up of the loopy … [Read more...]
Capacity audience on hand for throwback show from ‘Mr. Swindle’s Peculiarium’
JUPITER — Gimmickry has always been a draw in live entertainment, and never more so than since the COVID-19 pandemic. People now seem more drawn to things they’ve never seen in person, perhaps to counter the effects of the likes of a virus they’d never experienced (as opposed to the latest music gimmick, tribute act bookings from local to Daryl Hall’s Live From Daryl’s … [Read more...]
With stellar ‘Lehman Trilogy,’ Maltz tops itself
The day I saw the Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s extraordinary production of The Lehman Trilogy, the stock market plummeted nearly 750 points. The rags-to-riches-to-bankruptcy history of three ambitious Jewish immigrant brothers looked like it was threatening to repeat itself. Still, as we fasten our seatbelts in preparation for what might be another sustained economic crisis, we … [Read more...]
Maltz banks on absorbing drama with ‘Lehman Trilogy’
Where were you in 2008? Do you remember those rocky days when the stock market imploded, led by the collapse of the powerful Lehman Brothers investment firm? As painful as that might have been for you, it is a story worth hearing again, as told in the epic Tony Award-winning play, The Lehman Trilogy. It traces the emigration of a trio of German brothers — Henry, Emanuel and … [Read more...]
‘The Humans’ compels with fine ensemble work at Dramaworks
What could be more human than a family gathering at Thanksgiving, sharing a meal together, giving thanks, expressing hopes and the inevitable disappointments. So it goes at Palm Beach Dramaworks in Stephen Karam’s Tony Award-winning comic drama, The Humans, a jaundice-eyed look at the Irish-Catholic Blakes, Erik and Deirdre (Andy Prosky and Anne-Marie Cusson), of Scranton, … [Read more...]
Remade ‘Peter Pan’ at Kravis still manages to enchant
In 1904, J.M. Barrie gave the world one of its most endearing, timeless characters, Peter Pan, “the boy who wouldn’t grow old.” Fifty years later, composer Moose Charlap and lyricist Carolyn Leigh (with additional music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) adapted the story into a stage musical, which has captivated theatergoers, young and old, ever … [Read more...]
Slow Burn’s dark ‘Parade’ revival gripping, and more topical
Since moving to the Broward Center 10 years ago, Slow Burn Theatre has been featuring more family-friendly mainstream fare, in contrast to the edgier, more offbeat menu that first earned the company its devoted following. So it was heartening to see the troupe return to form with its current production of Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry’s Parade, as darkly dramatic and … [Read more...]