There may be no better time or place to stage In the Heights than during the sweltering height of a South Florida summer. As the residents of Washington Heights (in New York, Ny) endure oppressive temperatures and rising costs, the world outside Lake Worth Playhouse seems to echo the one unfolding onstage. Yet, even in the heat, this community dances, sings, loves.

Back in 2022, Elizabeth Price’s old college friend couldn’t stop raving about a  cutting-edge, corporate thriller-style dark comedy called BURST whose premiere she’d attended at Alleyway Theatre in Buffalo, NY. Actor/director Price was also instantly impressed by award-winning playwright Rachel Bublitz’s disturbingly timely script and, as a longstanding New City Players (NCP) company member, immediately shared it with producing artistic director Tim Davis, who then asked if she wanted to direct the show. Her response – an enthusiastic “yes”; the only problem being the company had already committed their schedule for the year, and then some. So, despite “bursting” at the seams to share this unconventional play with their audiences, it would need to wait for a while. 

A Cutting-Edge Reenactment of What Lies Behind Jerry Falwell Jr.’s  Notorious Sex Scandal 

POW! stands for “Plays Of Wilton,” Ronnie Larsen’s hot (in every way), explosively popular theatrical brand. Larsen’s logo design alone reflects comic superhero POW! ZAP! BAM! power punches that arrive unexpectedly … yet always manage to save the day. It’s one more fitting description of the arc of Ronnie Larsen Presents productions, held at intimate The Foundry, a little theater whose seating and stage area have been renovated, yet again, for maximum comfort and “big show” impact. Thereby further expanding its mission to provide unique, diverse, primarily LGBTQ+- slanted theater in our region, including many world premieres, often written, produced, and directed by the irrepressible Grand Master of Innovation, Ronnie Larsen himself.

Very few theater critics have a clue about the quality of the show they are going to see when they walk into the performance venue. My wife and I walked in to see Brevo Theater’s production of The Color Purple at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center and it far exceeded our expectations. It was stunning! Only seven performances remain of this glorious production, so, if you are a theater aficionado you need to experience this show. It does not disappoint.

By now, many of us have seen CABARET at least once – typically performed on a large stage with flashy scenic design and memorable musical numbers. The 1967 megahit is also famous for its explosive style and controversial subject matter (personally decadent, politically horrifying), haunted by a sense of foreboding during the last gasps of the Jazz Age in 1929 Germany. A time when violent clashes between left and right and gathering stormclouds of a Nazi takeover were often met by blind disbelief, and escape into the hedonistic pleasures of seedy cabarets. Everyone was welcome in these underground clubs where locals of every stripe could revel in hilariously provocative skits and libations with their fellows before true Nazi depravity put the kibosh on all such pleasurable (albeit morally questionable) pursuits in the1930s.