The “City That Never Sleeps” (aka “The Big Apple” aka New York City) is often seen by outsiders as a cold and impersonal concrete jungle. And it might be – for some new arrivals. But to those who’ve lived there for a while and put down roots, “mean streets” mean home, with all the warmth and connection of a small-town neighborhood. None more so than the creative dreamers who bask in the city’s energy while connecting with, and being supported by, like-minded artistic and/or financially strapped individuals who thrive in their particular slice of town.
In search of a little extra cheer this upcoming weekend? Look no further for the perfect remedy: Slow Burn Theatre Company’s entertaining, heartfelt, and utterly joyful production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Under the expert direction of Patrick Fitzwater, the story takes theatergoers through a musical legend’s path to stardom, and the ups and downs she faces along the way. Did I mention that it’s set to quite the catchy soundtrack, too?
When Tim Davis, producing artistic director of New City Players (NCP) and director of Samuel D. Hunter’s raw and unsettling play, A CASE FOR THEEXISTENCE OF GOD, welcomed us to Island City Stage’s intimate blackbox in Wilton Manors, he praised the unique sense of “presence” and “community” that only happens in live theater. A once in a lifetime experience! Or as Davis put it: “Never again in human history will this group of people be here together, watching a play.”
After seeing understandably immense success on both Broadway and the West End, the Tony Award-winning play Good Night, Oscar is here in sunny South Florida, enjoying its run at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre. Equal parts laugh-out-loud funny and thought-provoking, this remarkable comedy-drama sheds light on a 20th-century icon. A gifted concert pianist, composer, and actor, Oscar Levant (Max Roll) also became famous for his talk show appearances, his acerbic wit and candid discussion of difficult topics resonating with many viewers. This is from where Good Night, Oscar, written by Doug Wright and directed here by Bill Fennelly, draws its main source of inspiration. Set in 1958, solely at NBC Television Studios in Burbank, the play follows a chaotic day in Levant’s life as he prepares to film an episode of The Tonight Show with Jack Paar. Creative prowess and enduring fame can too often come at a high cost—and is the price really worth it?
From February 20 to 22, 2026, Palm Beach Opera brought Georges Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers to the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, offering South Florida audiences the sweeping tale of friendship and forbidden love, directed by Kathleen Smith Belcher. Set on the shores of ancient Ceylon, the opera centers on Zurga (Joo Won Kang), leader of a community of pearl divers, and Nadir (Long Long), his long-estranged friend. Years earlier, the two men pledged to renounce their shared love for a mysterious woman in order to preserve their bond, a promise enshrined in the famed duet “Au fond du temple saint.” When Nadir returns and a veiled priestess named Leïla (Francesca Pia Vitale) arrives to pray for the divers’ safety, the past resurfaces with fury. Leïla is the very woman who once came between them. As Nadir and Leïla rekindle their love, they violate sacred vows to Zurga and this community, placing themselves at the mercy of the same rigid society with a leader torn between jealousy and loyalty.
American Jews – at least those within the Orthodox community I grew up in – are at least somewhat familiar with the story of Spain’s “conversos,” the forced conversion, in place of expulsion, of Spain’s (and later Portugal’s) Jews in the 14th and 15th century. But as continuous, widespread antisemitic atrocities occurred more recently (specifically ongoing pogroms in Eastern European culminating in the ultimate horror of the Holocaust), the Catholic church’s early efforts to safeguard Christianity – including the Holy Inquisition of 1478 to ensure new conversos were true Christians – often lay buried in the mists of time.
Picture a cozy cottage lying deep in the heart of Provence, France. It’s 1939, and the ever-present threat of World War II looms. Yet nothing can disturb English couple Peter (Daniel Anderson) and Suzy (Ashley Bourget) from their state of serene idyll, not even their mysterious neighbor Josef (Todd Caster) and his penchant for showing up at their house at some quite inconvenient times. That is, until a long-buried betrayal threatens to upend everything: Suzy’s discovery that Peter may not be the man he professes to be, and instead could be someone capable of ruthless crimes, now on the run to avoid persecution. As the plot unfolds and new visitors Ross (Brandon Goldsmith) and Miriam (Dana Leigh Segal) arrive, the audience must keep reevaluating their view of these characters…because not everything is what it seems and not everyone can be trusted in this twisty thriller.
Playwright Nicholas Griffin refreshed South Floridians, especially those residing in Miami-Dade County, on the conflicting times in 1980 in his one act drama “English Only”, a Miami New Drama production running now through February 22 at the Colony Theatre in Miami Beach.
Dating has never been easy. Back in the old days when parents and/or matchmakers set up the kids, the pressure to be liked was still there, but the voices in young people’s heads were few. Nowadays, when a swipe or a click reveals a blind date’s entire dating history – not to mention hearing internal, opinionated voices of friends and family – a first date can be sabotaged before it ever gets off the ground. Playwright Austin Winsberg, who wrote the book for the new(ish) Broadway musical, FIRST DATE, admits he based his highly recognizable scenarios on his own experience and those of his friends.
If ever there were a popular movie that begged to be turned into a live theatrical production – already known for its great songs, memorable characters, and a riveting storyline, it would be 1985 sci-fi sensation and audience favorite Back to the Future starring a young Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, it won numerous awards – including an Academy Award, three Saturn Awards and a Hugo, and became the highest grossing film in 1985 worldwide, inspiring two sequels. As the years went by, its fan base only increased, with critics and audiences now considering Back to the Future as one of the greatest science fiction films, and even one of the best films ever made!
