Wrapped up this previous weekend at the Broward Center, Broadway found its way back to south Florida with To Kill A Mockingbird and a star-studded cast. Based on the movie, which was based on the novel, this play is a newer adaptation by playwright Aaron Sorkin, famed writer for his contributions to popular TV shows like “The West Wing,” and more. Emmy award-winning actor Richard Thomas commanded the audience like he did in the courtroom as Atticus Finch. South Florida Theater Magazine got a chance to see the poignant play, and let me tell you: it’s just as important today as it was when it was published in 1960.

Especially considering this is my first exposure to their work, I definitely wasn’t expecting to be quite as entertained as I was by Loxen Production’s version of Little Shop of Horrors, a classic musical that seems to have become one on its own decidedly quirky merits and not by mere happenstance. Written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, the same winning team that would later go on to Disney fame, this brilliant show centers around a dorky-beyond-belief every-guy named Seymour, who is just going about his business as a clerk at a flower shop on the downtrodden skid row until he stumbles upon a particularly peculiar little plant. 

If, as Bright Star supporting character Lucy puts it, the real key to being a good writer is feeling sorry for yourself and drinking vodka, it’s possible that this musical’s writers could’ve used another cocktail or two in the process of this show’s creation. Though said writers are actually a pretty famous pair, consisting of Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin) and singer-songwriter Edie Brickell of the New Bohemians, the show ran only a short few months on Broadway in 2016. And, in a sense, it isn’t hard to see why it didn’t quite catch on, though there are plenty of bright spots in this sentimental down-home musical, and especially in Actors’ Playhouse’s megawatt-worthy production. 

If you didn’t know, Slow Burn Theatre Co. is currently putting on their iteration of the classic tale of “Mary Poppins” at the Broward Center’s Amaturo Theater. The musical is a stage adaptation of the original movie, but here in south Florida, the magic feels extra real. South Florida Theater Magazine was present on opening night of Saturday, March 25, to report back that the next generation of theater-goers is well on its way to centerstage.

When a pair of kissing cousins are among the more well adjusted characters in a given play, you should probably know that you’re in some pretty grim territory. While I can imagine some theatregoers being put off by the dark subject matter of August: Osage County, which centers around a suspected suicide and delves into addiction, incest, and multiple instances of adultery, just to name a few, I can think of few other reasons that anyone would be dissatisfied with Palm Beach Dramaworks’ incredibly well-orchestrated production of this consummately entertaining play. 

Originally Published on artburstmiami.com

Written By Christine Dolen

Aurin Squire’s “Defacing Michael Jackson” is a memory play, at least in part.

Getting its world premiere by Miami New Drama at the Colony Theatre on Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road, the piece is about five teens trying to navigate life, love and a turbulent world in Opa-locka circa 1984. It was sparked by the playwright’s memories of himself and his friends doing the same, albeit some years later.

Though I was already pretty certain that Zoetic Stage’s production of Next to Normal was bound to be an incredible one based on my familiarity with the show and with the talented team involved, I didn’t quite expect it to be quite as electrifying a ride as it proved to be at the Carnival Studio theatre this weekend. Both fans of the show and newcomers to the story are sure to be taken in by this gripping journey, which is one I first experienced over a decade ago during the Off-Broadway run that preceded the show’s Tony-winning turn on the great white way. 

Some laughs, but mostly sadness and tears best describes emotions felt after seeing “Marty’s Back In Town”, a two act play by playwright Norman Shabel, running from Friday, March 24 through Sunday, April 2 at The Studio at Mizner Park in Boca Raton.

Neil Simon’s blockbuster comedy, The Odd Couple, has been packaged, repackaged, filmed, performed live, aired on TV and altered in a variety of ways. To bring its 2022-23 season to a close on a highly humorous note, Boca Stage presents a comic version of Simon’s 1980’s reworking of his original production – one that casts the two lead characters and all their working-class buddies as women.