The Wick Theatre in Boca Raton opens its ninth season this month with the five-time Tony Award-nominated musical, Milk and Honey, a sweet and inspirational musical full of romance and comedy. It stars New York Drama Desk Award-nominated actor and producer Avi Hoffman, renowned for his acclaimed performances celebrating his Jewish heritage.
The Wick’s lively version of Milk and Honey runs Oct. 13 to Nov. 6, with evening shows on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and matinees at 2 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $79-$99 and are available at www.thewick.org or by calling the box office at 561-995-2333.
“We are so excited to be able to bring this inspiring and uplifting story to our stage as our opener for this season,” said Marilynn A. Wick, managing executive producer. “We’ve all had some rough times over the past few years, so this year we celebrate, with joy, laughter, and beautiful music.”
Featuring the first Broadway score written by Jerry Herman, who went on to pen Hello, Dolly! and Mame, and a book written by Don Appell, Milk and Honey tells the story of a group of American widows who travel to Israel with hopes of finding new love. The show is set against the backdrop of the country’s struggle for recognition as an independent nation.
It focuses on an American tourist named Ruth who meets retired Baltimore builder Phil. They are immediately attracted to each other, but Phil, who has long been separated from his wife, is still married. The two must work their way through their circumstances and investigate their hearts to find the right answers against the thrilling backdrop of a newly born nation.
Herman’s score includes “Shalom,” “There’s No Reason in the World” and the buoyant title song.
Hoffman, who sold out the theatre with his summer event, Yiddish Tangos, stars as Phil and his real-life wife, actress Laura Turnbull, portrays Ruth. Also in the cast are Irene Adjan as Clara, and the five American widows are portrayed by a group of well-known actresses — Colleen Pagano, Denise DeMars, Heather Simsay, Elizabeth Dimon, and Patti Gardner.
The Wick welcomes Peter Loewy as the show’s director and Phil Hinton as musical director. They are joined by NYC-based choreographer, Oren Korenblum, who was born and raised in Israel.
Four other main stage productions will flesh out Wick’s 2022-23 season. The first, Cinderella, runs from Nov. 25 to Dec. 24, and stars Mallory Newbrough, who several years ago headed the cast of the musical, Beauty and the Beast.
This retelling of Cinderella has music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hammerstein, updated libretto by Tony Award nominee Douglas Carter Beane and some unexpected twists. The score includes “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible/It’s Possible” and “Ten Minutes Ago.” More than just a glittering ball gown and glass slippers, this contemporary adaptation was nominated for nine Tony Awards.
Next is Anything Goes, running from Jan. 12 to Feb. 12. This toe-tapping classic with music and lyrics by Cole Porter is set aboard the S.S. American on a voyage between New York and England. On board is a madcap group of passengers offering witty repartee, exceptional singing and dancing. It includes songs from the Great American Songbook such as “Anything Goes,” “You’re the Top” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.”
Damn Yankees, a musical postponed from last year due to COVID, will hit the stage March 2 through April 2. With music and lyrics by Jerry Ross and Richard Adler and a book by Abbott and Douglass Wallop, this multiple Tony Award-winning play tells the story of a middle-aged man who sells his soul to the devil to become a baseball player to help his beloved Washington Senators beat the Yankees in the World Series. A modern retelling of the Faust legend set in the 1950s, the score includes “Whatever Lola Wants,” “(You Gotta Have) Heart” and “Two Lost Souls.”
The season finale brings the Million Dollar Quartet to the Wick Stage from April 20 to May 14. This Tony Award-nominated musical is set on Dec. 4, 1956, when fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley together at Sun Records in Memphis for what would be one of the greatest jam sessions ever. A poignant and funny tale, based on a real-life event, this early-rock concert in a play features nearly two dozen songs, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Folsom City Blues,” “Who Do You Love?” and “Great Balls of Fire”
The Wick Theatre has hosted more than 50 main stage productions since opening in the fall of 2013 with Sound of Music.
The theatrical venue at 7901 N. Federal Highway in Boca Raton also houses the Tavern at the Wick, a posh gourmet restaurant in the style of the famed Tavern on the Green in NYC. Visit the website to view the menu for this show.
A Massachusetts native who moved to Florida in 2000, he is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, with honors degrees in English and Journalism. In New England, he worked for the Attleboro (Mass.) Sun Chronicle and the Pawtucket (R.I.) Times, the latter for 28 years. After moving to Florida, he worked as a copy editor at the Palm Beach Daily News, and, in 2001, became a reporter and later, city editor, at the Boca
Raton News where he worked for eight years.
