The Maltz Jupiter Theatre was founded in October of 2001 and acquired by the not-for-profit Palm Beach Playhouse, Inc. Before it was the Maltz Jupiter Theatre it was known as the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre, from 1979 until 1989. Burt Reynolds was a well-known tycoon in the South Florida theatre and film community. He dedicated many years to advancing the art scene, educating the youth of South Florida who held interests in theatre and film. After its closing, it was owned by outside institutions before being discovered by members of the Coconut Grove Playhouse who brought the idea of establishing the building into a new regional theatre to Milton and Tamar Maltz. With their help, they have allowed the Maltz Jupiter Theatre to become what it is today. In honor of the Maltz Family and their 25 million dollar donation, the theatre was named after them in dedication to their philanthropy.
Theater arts students at Florida Atlantic University are bringing their Summer Repertory schedule to an energetic conclusion with an unconventional musical production described by Director Kevin Covert as a “celebration of humanity and the human spirit.” Rent — a rock retelling of Giacomo Puccini‘s 1896 opera, “La Bohème” – taps an abundance of talented students, dresses them in meticulously crafted costumes and places them in the center of a stunningly designed set that portrays the seediness of a niche New York neighborhood circa 1996.
Miami’s Actors Playhouse continues its commitment to mounting the productions it put off due to the pandemic with a production of Hank Williams: Lost Highway, a 1987 musical about the life of the titular country music legend. One of an array of biographical jukebox musicals probably chosen for the certainty the star’s name recognition will have, as far as attracting crowds. The show devotes much of its running time to recreations of the performances of Williams and his bandmates, who were together known as the Drifting Cowboys.
Though the Halloween season may be a few months away, any impatient horror fans or theatre lovers can get a dose of spookiness a lot sooner than October thanks to Infinite Abyss’sFright Night. Though the thrills the show offers are more in the campy vein than truly scary ones in this send up of the 1985 film of the same name, the relatively straightforward story is still genuinely creepy and suspenseful enough to easily keep audience attention for its two hour running time.
Conundrum Stages and the Theatre Of Collaborative Arts recently partnered to present Love is in the Air: A Musical Mystery Show, a fun-filled performance that offered a twist on the time-tested genre of the cabaret by incorporating a mystery-themed frame story to make things a little more intriguing. Along with having migrated from an initial performance in West Palm Beach to Savor Cinema in Fort Lauderdale, the show was also adapted from an original dinner theatre format, a context that the style and silliness of the show were probably somewhat better suited to.
Though a musical that makes references to date rape, bulimia, child abuse and features not only multiple teen fatalities, but the prospect of a blown up school seems like an unlikely choice for a riotous night of comedy. However, there’s at least as many laughs as there are pathos in Heathers: The Musical. Based on the 1989 film, this zany high school musical is at once achingly earnest and outrageously risque, making for a slightly uneven but ultimately satisfying night of theatre in its current incarnation at the Lake Worth Playhouse.
Time Stops, A New Musical, a theatrical production venerating the bonds of unconditional love and the strength of the human spirit as it deals with the heartbreak and emptiness of loss, makes its world premiere later this month in the Rinker Playhouse at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. The performance that brings together a multi award-winning creative team to stage the piece that’s based on a book by Boca Raton resident Bonnie Logan opens July 15 and continues for a total of five showings through July 17.
The Boca Raton Symphonia has adopted the premise, “Inspired Naturally,” for its 2022-2023 season that opens in November which will feature well-known guest conductors and soloists in a series of performances that runs through next April.
While finding some excuse to enclose characters in a small space and then letting them duke it out isn’t totally new theatrical territory, there is a lot that is refreshingly original about Borrowed, a new play by The Broadway Factor’s Jim Kierstead currently making its world premiere at Miami Ironside’s House Of Games.
‘Brighton Beach Memoirs’ could easily be subtitled Neil Simon’s Family in Crisis. But the esteemed playwright didn’t do that. Instead, he crafted a stellar autobiographical drama that melds whimsy with pathos, anger and, ultimately, forgiveness. He takes the time to develop the characters and spotlight their ability to deal with adversity without ripping apart the family bond.
