We often don’t know how good we had it till that time has long passed. Those of us who came of age in the 1960s, despite the latter part of the decade’s Vietnam war protests and assassination horrors, can’t help but look back fondly at a time when we were young, passionate, and rebellious for equality. When we actually believed gathering and singing about border-free peace, love, and “Flower Power” could change the world.

For young women fighting for equal rights and pay, along with the freedom to choose a rewarding future not defined by marriage, the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s could be life changing. Maybe we all need to, as the Beatles’ song goes, “Get back to where you once belonged” and reclaim our better selves with more than fond nostalgia.

It never ceases to amaze me how the world turns from irrational prejudice and hate to a brief 1960’s “Summer of Love” and acceptance, and then suddenly we’re jolted back to being hounded by narrow-minded authoritarians. But at least, for now, we can still shout and make our voices heard. Ironically, many of today’s arguments for sexual identity acceptance were first given voice onstage by a gifted, empathetic Dutch female novelist and playwright who specialized in early 20th  century family dramas. 

Magic, mayhem, history and mystery like you’ve never experienced is astounding audiences of all ages at Theatre Lab‘s expanded new home at the Marleen Forkas Studio One Theatre of Florida Atlantic University. That’s where our most popular, family-oriented local playwright Gina Montét (of last year’s Heebie Jeebies fame) was once again commissioned to create a new play for the Lab’s annual Heckscher Theatre for Families series. Her play would also serve as Theatre Lab’s 2026/27 inaugural season opener, marking the notable new-play destination’s 21st world premiere production!

We are living in what many might consider “the best of times and the worst of times” and once again history “rhymes.” One of our most savvy, socially aware contemporary playwrights, Jonathan Spector, premiered his lovingly sardonic satire (yes, this brilliant playwright manages to walk that fine line) about privileged progressive parents debating vaccine mandates at a high-minded “woke” elementary school in Berkeley, CA, in 2018. EUREKA DAY was first staged pre-Covid, but just after the infamous measles outbreak in California’s Disneyland. Ironically, here we are again with anti-vaccination and anti-science politics dominating the scene, and measles, which was effectively “eliminated” in 2000, coming in at 2,500 cases thus far for 2026, including several deaths.

As a theater critic, there’s nothing I love more than discovering a talented new theater company who’s come to town with great enthusiasm and an original outlook that can only add to our highly rated, established drama scene. Another thing I love is when a rarely produced classic is chosen by one of our local companies … and then suddenly appears as the hottest show on Broadway. I got to see a Sondheim Merrily We Roll Along revival at Delray Beach Playhouse in the spring of 2024 … while the play was still creating a sensation on the Great White Way. And now find myself amazed and delighted to discover playwright Jon Robin Baitz (a new personal favorite) and his 2011 Broadway hit, OTHER DESERT CITIES, playing at Fort Lauderdale’s Empire Stage … just about a month before the show opens at the Hudson Theatre for its first-ever Broadway revival. Yup! Our South Florida theater community definitely has its finger on the pulse of Broadway and Off-Broadway … making sure those of us who can’t regularly travel north don’t miss out (too much)! 

Retirement: a long-awaited phase of life that promises privacy, tranquility, and autonomy from the responsibilities of work and parenthood. If their paradise is jeopardized, one could resort to extremes to maintain their leisurely lifestyle. Perhaps even become nudists. 

Capitalizing on the popularity of the 1975 film “Jaws” (which ironically played at Actors’ Playhouse back in the era when the venue was a movie theater), playwrights Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon created both a dramatic and  humorous behind the scenes look at the making of “Jaws” in their one act play “The Shark Is Broken”, running now through August 9 at Actors’ Playhouse in Coral Gables.

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.