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. 

A Cutting-Edge Reenactment of What Lies Behind Jerry Falwell Jr.’s  Notorious Sex Scandal 

POW! stands for “Plays Of Wilton,” Ronnie Larsen’s hot (in every way), explosively popular theatrical brand. Larsen’s logo design alone reflects comic superhero POW! ZAP! BAM! power punches that arrive unexpectedly … yet always manage to save the day. It’s one more fitting description of the arc of Ronnie Larsen Presents productions, held at intimate The Foundry, a little theater whose seating and stage area have been renovated, yet again, for maximum comfort and “big show” impact. Thereby further expanding its mission to provide unique, diverse, primarily LGBTQ+- slanted theater in our region, including many world premieres, often written, produced, and directed by the irrepressible Grand Master of Innovation, Ronnie Larsen himself.

Very few theater critics have a clue about the quality of the show they are going to see when they walk into the performance venue. My wife and I walked in to see Brevo Theater’s production of The Color Purple at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center and it far exceeded our expectations. It was stunning! Only seven performances remain of this glorious production, so, if you are a theater aficionado you need to experience this show. It does not disappoint.

By now, many of us have seen CABARET at least once – typically performed on a large stage with flashy scenic design and memorable musical numbers. The 1967 megahit is also famous for its explosive style and controversial subject matter (personally decadent, politically horrifying), haunted by a sense of foreboding during the last gasps of the Jazz Age in 1929 Germany. A time when violent clashes between left and right and gathering stormclouds of a Nazi takeover were often met by blind disbelief, and escape into the hedonistic pleasures of seedy cabarets. Everyone was welcome in these underground clubs where locals of every stripe could revel in hilariously provocative skits and libations with their fellows before true Nazi depravity put the kibosh on all such pleasurable (albeit morally questionable) pursuits in the1930s. 

JAGGED LITTLE PILL is harsh, it’s real. It cuts, it stings, it challenges and resonates … crushes and exhilarates! The contemporary Tony Award-winning musical featuring the music and lyrics of Alanis Morissette’s landmark 1995 album – winner of four Grammy Awards and a worldwide sensation (number one in 13 countries with sales of over 33 million!) – has taken Broward Center’s Amaturo Theater by storm. Where professional resident Slow Burn Theatre Company is mounting the final show of its super-charged 16th season with all the high-energy song-and-dance numbers, magnificent vocals, superior staging, lighting and sound, one has come to expect from the highly rated theatrical company. And this latest production also features an explosive live orchestra! 

The first musical I ever saw was The Book of Mormon. A little over a decade ago, my best friend Salman and I secured student-priced, nosebleed tickets to see this crass, new show from the creators of South Park. We were high up in the Altria Theatre in Richmond, Virginia, so far from the stage that it was sometimes difficult to make out the finer points of the plot. But I remember crying from laughing so hard. I remember, very clearly, feeling that I had found love for something I hadn’t before: love for theatre.