Many of us recall watching John Waters’ groundbreaking 1988 hit film Hairspray at movie theaters, on TV, or in some other fashion. And everyone recognizes “Good Morning Baltimore,” the opening number that’s become part of America’s musical theater lexicon. But fewer people had seen the Broadway musical adaptation that went on to win eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, in 2003. Shall I tell you now that there were Slow Burn Theatre Company patrons who’d attended the original Broadway show and/or various revivals and said Slow Burn’s was the best!!

Our local production and the takeaway message of five Tony Award-winning KIMBERLY AKIMBO (including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score) – whose National Touring Company opened Tuesday for a very short run at Broward Center – are perfectly aligned. Namely: Life’s short. Make the most of every day while you can.

Executive Director Bari Newport of “GableStage” presented a more than three hour, two intermission  production of playwright Joshua Harmon’s “Prayer For The French Republic” that, even with an outstanding 2025-26 season of Jewish-themed plays at GableStage ,stood out as the standout play of the season that one should not miss because of its gripping contemporary look at the consequences of contemporary anti-Semitism and its common ties with anti-Semitism 60 years earlier.

Who could predict when playwright Ted Malawer’s (co-writer of Emmy-nominated “Red, White & Royal Blue”) latest play was selected two years ago for Palm Beach Dramaworks’ new play reading festival run by Bruce Linser, the award-winning South Florida writer/actor/director would go on to direct the East Coast premiere (and only second staging) of EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL HAPPENS AT NIGHT at Island City Stage (ICS). The ideal LGBTQ-friendly venue. But I’m so glad he did! 

For better or for worse, 2026 is a hell of a time to find myself tasked with reviewing  The Crucible. 

To start with, I can easily say that I was thoroughly impressed by the precision, ambition, and artistry of Palm Beach Dramaworks’ take on the piece, which is something that I don’t want to lose sight of. 

From perfect weather to ideals of peace and justice, the mythical era of “Camelot” represents many of humanity’s highest and deepest aspirations. No wonder the perennially popular Lerner & Loewe musical (based on the legend of King Arthur in T.H. White’s 1958 novel, “The Once and Future King”) won four Tonys at its Broadway debut in 1960. The show followed book writer and lyricist Alan Jay Lerner and music composer Frederick Loewe’s earlier smash hit, “My Fair Lady.” It also featured superstars Richard Burton and Julie Andrews, as Arthur and Guenevere, and Robert Goulet’s first Broadway role, as Lancelot.  

As a short disclaimer, I must say I am very familiar with PPTOPA as I was the drama teacher at a nearby high school. I have witnessed strong family ties, business professionals, government electees, former students and friends support and perform there. I have also witnessed the evolution of its growth. Starting in its humble roots using community performers and retired professionals at Walter C. Young Community Center, PPTOPA has grown into a professional force at the Susan B. Katz River of Grass Theatre. It took 30 years to make this notable transition, a challenge and growth that is duly noted. I applaud its determination and perseverance. 

After seeing a production of Lucy Prebble’s The Effect in Orlando earlier this year, I found myself unable to resist conducting my own little theatrical experiment when it popped up in South Florida at the Lake Worth Playhouse’s Stonzek Theatre. And I’m describing it that way because The Effect is a play about an experiment—specifically, a clinical trial of a powerful new antidepressant. 

Moulin Rouge! has arrived at the Adrienne Arsht Center for a limited Miami run, playing the Ziff Ballet Opera House through Sunday, March 22, 2026, as part of the Broadway in Miami season. This show is a production that can coast on recognition, on title alone, on the audience’s affection for a beloved film, and the score that’s stitched together from songs they already know. Moulin Rouge!, directed by Alex Timbers, choreographed by Sonya Tayeh, and orchestrated by Justine Levine, is more than that. What makes this stage adaptation so exhilarating is that it consistently reaches for something larger than its format. At its best, it feels enormous and lush and wounded and alive.

This past Saturday, Zoetic Stage’s masterful production of Merrily We Roll Along brought me one step closer to realizing my personal dream of seeing every Stephen Sondheim musical. Famously, the show wasn’t initially one of the composer’s biggest hits and was in fact a rather notorious flop, closing after 44 previews and only 16 regular performances. Since then, though, Merrily has found somewhat more success, most recently in a major Broadway revival that took home four awards at last year’s Tony’s.