I was initially intrigued by Palm Beach Dramaworks’ (PBD) first-ever revival play TRYING by Joanna McClelland Glass because of its premise. It shows how people of extremely disparate backgrounds and generational experience can spar yet keep working together to where they eventually respect and even deeply care for one another. If an ailing, patrician 81-year-old former US attorney general and judge from a prestigious American family and a vigorous, determined non-Ivy-League educated young woman of 25 from a small Canadian prairie town (who’s hired as his secretary) can learn to get along, perhaps there’s still hope for the rest of us. Particularly in our contentious times.
When ACT’s (Actors Community Theatre of Davie) popular director Jerry Jensen decided to keep their latest production, CLOSE TIES by Elizabeth Diggs, in the playwright’s setting of 1981, it was a no-brainer. Audiences would surely love revisiting a family’s summer home set in the quieter and more rural Berkshires of decades past. Where, as Jensen states in his Director’s Notes, “There are no cellphones or even area codes, no PCs, an office where the father uses a Dictaphone. The kitchen table is the center of family activity. But the family relationships are as timely today as they were then.”
Multi-accomplished South Florida actor/director/producer … and on, Larry Buzzeo, fresh from his successful inaugural season as founder and artistic director of ArtBuzzTheatrics at Empire Stage, is returning to our beloved Flagler Village blackbox with the sung-through musical, FALSETTOS. You heard right: This far too seldom produced, full-scale William Finn (music and lyrics) and James Lapine (book with Finn) musical that was nominated for seven and won two Tony Awards (for Best Musical and Best Score) in 1992 – and was then nominated for Best Revival in 2016 – has finally arrived! ArtBuzz and Empire Stage are presenting “Falsettos” in Fort Lauderdale from April 26 through May 19.
I love new plays! I really get off on being among the first audience to discover a new playwright or new work without any preconceived notions. To immerse myself in what’s often a very topical subject that its author was passionate enough about to devote huge chunks of his/her life to forming and then doing the really hard work (often on a wing and a prayer) of getting it to the stage.
When Theatre Lab’s producing artistic director Matt Stabile bounds onto the stage, it’s to let us know a lot more than to “silence our cellphones.” The professional resident company of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) that specializes in presenting new work (25 full productions, including 12 world premieres!) is culminating its ninth season with yet another hyper-topical world premiere: WHAT’S BEST FOR THE CHILDREN by Idris Goodwin.
MRS. DOUBTFIRE: The New Musical Comedy now blasting through Broward Center as part of their Broadway in Fort Lauderdale series is everything a contemporary musical, comedy, and live show should be … and so much more! For one, it’s incredibly outrageously funny, while featuring all the beautiful vocals and master choreography that one expects from a musical. And in this case, expectations for the updated version of the beloved 1993 film starring Robin Williams and Sally Field run high, to say the least.
If timing is everything, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG’s time is NOW. The latest iteration of Stephen Sondheim’s “most autobiographical musical” is currently experiencing enthusiastic crowds and rave reviews on Broadway. Labeled “a revelatory and intoxicating revival” by “The Washington Post” and considered “one of the best musicals of the theatre season!” by “The New York Post.”
Norm Foster may not be a household name in the Lower 48, but up north he’s often referred to as “the Canadian Neil Simon.” Canada’s most-produced contemporary playwright (his plays currently number over 55), is treasured for his humor, accessibility, and insight into the trials faced by ordinary people in today’s world.
I always loved carousels as a child (one of my earliest photos, and memories, took place on a carousel in Coney Island). So of course I hopped right onto the horse for a short, fun spin on the colorful carousel (complete with barker) stationed at the entrance of TheWick Theatre to promote their latest show.
Every day that goes by confirms we are now living in a dystopian future projected by sci-fi writers of the past. George Orwell’s iconic 1984 appears to resonate in our year of 2024 the most. The job of the book’s protagonist is to erase and rewrite history – daily. He works for the “Ministry of Truth” where facts are basically made up and no one can escape “Big Brother” surveillance. Everyone’s interior living and outdoor space is surrounded by screens that both see them and constantly broadcast fake news while regularly scheduled rallies rev up emotions for revenge upon the day’s perceived enemy. Sound familiar?
