The “City That Never Sleeps” (aka “The Big Apple” aka New York City) is often seen by outsiders as a cold and impersonal concrete jungle. And it might be – for some new arrivals. But to those who’ve lived there for a while and put down roots, “mean streets” mean home, with all the warmth and connection of a small-town neighborhood. None more so than the creative dreamers who bask in the city’s energy while connecting with, and being supported by, like-minded artistic and/or financially strapped individuals who thrive in their particular slice of town.
When Tim Davis, producing artistic director of New City Players (NCP) and director of Samuel D. Hunter’s raw and unsettling play, A CASE FOR THEEXISTENCE OF GOD, welcomed us to Island City Stage’s intimate blackbox in Wilton Manors, he praised the unique sense of “presence” and “community” that only happens in live theater. A once in a lifetime experience! Or as Davis put it: “Never again in human history will this group of people be here together, watching a play.”
American Jews – at least those within the Orthodox community I grew up in – are at least somewhat familiar with the story of Spain’s “conversos,” the forced conversion, in place of expulsion, of Spain’s (and later Portugal’s) Jews in the 14th and 15th century. But as continuous, widespread antisemitic atrocities occurred more recently (specifically ongoing pogroms in Eastern European culminating in the ultimate horror of the Holocaust), the Catholic church’s early efforts to safeguard Christianity – including the Holy Inquisition of 1478 to ensure new conversos were true Christians – often lay buried in the mists of time.
Dating has never been easy. Back in the old days when parents and/or matchmakers set up the kids, the pressure to be liked was still there, but the voices in young people’s heads were few. Nowadays, when a swipe or a click reveals a blind date’s entire dating history – not to mention hearing internal, opinionated voices of friends and family – a first date can be sabotaged before it ever gets off the ground. Playwright Austin Winsberg, who wrote the book for the new(ish) Broadway musical, FIRST DATE, admits he based his highly recognizable scenarios on his own experience and those of his friends.
If ever there were a popular movie that begged to be turned into a live theatrical production – already known for its great songs, memorable characters, and a riveting storyline, it would be 1985 sci-fi sensation and audience favorite Back to the Future starring a young Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, it won numerous awards – including an Academy Award, three Saturn Awards and a Hugo, and became the highest grossing film in 1985 worldwide, inspiring two sequels. As the years went by, its fan base only increased, with critics and audiences now considering Back to the Future as one of the greatest science fiction films, and even one of the best films ever made!
MY FAIR LADY, the iconic Lerner & Lowe musical of the 1950s, was the soundtrack of my childhood. Famous and beloved as the longest running Broadway musical in 1956 (with book & lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe), it won six Tonys, including Best Musical, was turned into an eight-Academy-Award-winning film (including Best Picture) in 1964 and has had a lasting influence on the trajectory of musical theater ever since. Believe it or not, everyone in America and the UK (where it held highly successful tours next) who grew up during the mid-20th century – whether they’d seen the show or not – could likely sing the lyrics to all the songs with glee! When has this ever happened … before or since?
There are popular, stand-up comedy acts, and there are musical-theater revues by Broadway-caliber vocalists. And then there’s TOVAH FELDSHUH. I could say, with this multi-award-winning actress/singer/comedienne’s one woman show you get a twofer: a beautifully sung musical theater revue plus non-stop original comedy sketches, all perfectly interspersed. But then there’s more … SOOO much more! Because Tovah doesn’t just tell jokes, she quickly switches attire to become her comedic characters – in looks, speech, and mannerisms that span all ages, ethnic groups and nationalities. In addition to various American accents, she’ll talk like an Italian, Russian, or Turkish/Sephardic Jew. And she sings in pitch-perfect Yiddish, Hebrew, and Spanish.
Looking to extend some holiday cheer? You can’t do better than take the whole family to see Slow Burn Theatre Company’s magical, brrr…shivery, snowy (bring sweaters – if anything, the suggestive power of winter is real!) production of Disney’s FROZEN: The Broadway Musical. But you need to act fast! This extremely popular show closes on January 4. Happily, because all Slow Burn musicals are mounted in Broward Center’s midsize Amaturo Theater, no seat is too far for a great view of all the magic onstage.
Given our daily international news shockers, homeless and addiction numbers, soaring unemployment, not to mention the constant threat of gun violence, climate disasters, pandemics and poverty, many in our country would say we currently live in “miserable” times. Why rush to see more misery in LES MISÉRABLES, despite its exalted reputation as the “world’s most popular and beloved musical”? The musical is based on renowned French writer and activist Victor Hugo’s sensational (and banned by the Catholic Church) 1862 novel about the mistreatment and hopeless lives endured daily by the French underclass – especially, the number-tattooed, and thus marked-for-life as felons, incarcerated “criminals” who are routinely debased and used for slave labor.
I love how ONE SUMMER IN BROOKLYN: The Musical’s producer Lisa Walkowitz (who’s also the founder/president of Not Your Average Theater Group that is presenting this world premiere) introduced the show on their Facebook page: “They say you can never go home again … so … we brought Brooklyn to Boca.” It certainly was a delight for many former New Yorkers (like myself), or anyone who remembers the 1960s, to enter Boca Raton’s Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park and be met by early sixties’ tunes and a looming full-stage projection of the Brooklyn Bridge. Followed by revolving photos of happy, mostly young couples on Coney Island Beach and Steeplechase Park with its famous Ferris wheel and rides.
