The American Civil War was not a laughing matter. But if anything, even slightly humorous, took place during the bloody War Between the States, it probably had something to do with a true-to-life participant in that conflict, a major general in the Union Army named Benjamin Franklin Butler.
If you haven’t read the Roald Dahl book that the musical Matilda is based on or seen its popular movie adaptation, you may be understandably wary of Slow Burn Theatre Company’s current production, since you may be tempted to write it off as a mere children’s show by virtue of its pint-sized protagonist.
After my first two shows back on the beat happened to be a pair of relatively light-hearted musicals, it was something of a relief to be taken on a deep dive back into the waters of moral and psychological complexity at Theatre Lab’s Overactive Letdown, a promising new play from the equally promising Miami playwright Gina Montet.
Not every theatrical troupe can handle the bold presentments, sexualized nuances and provocative, cutting-edge themes characteristic of a Tennessee Williams play.
After around a month out of town, the first show I hit now that I’ve finally landed back in good old South Florida was the Pembroke Pines Theatre Of Performing Arts’ production of Something Rotten, which is nowhere near as distasteful as its name implies.This 2015 musical is one that I don’t think has been seen too often in the area, if indeed at all, making it a worthier excursion for the curious than PPTOPA’s last pick, which was the more well-traveled Cabaret.
Many so-called “oldies” shows that come crammed with nostalgic songs from the 1950s and ‘60s, but which offer little diversity otherwise, run a pretty tight gamut – from “so-so” to “just OK.”
The deeply moving drama, Luna Gale, now being performed at Boca Stage, has a plenitude of plot threads, not all of which are tied off in the two-hour performance with a single intermission.
MNM Theater Company is continuing its musical comedy reign at its new home at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center with a production of the show Sister Act. Based on a popular movie, which I have still never seen despite having seen a different production of this 2006 musical adaptation.
The concept, at least, of I Hate Hamlet is a refreshingly original one. After moving into the former home of deceased legendary actor John Barrymore, TV soap star Andrew Rally is resisting efforts by his girlfriend and agent to persuade him to take the title role of Hamlet in a Shakespeare In The Park production.
When tallying the shows that I’ve been to as a critic that I probably never would have gone to see otherwise, Cats definitely has to top the list. In fact, I don’t think I was even aware that Cats was still on tour until I received an invite to the production currently playing at the Kravis Center.
