Though most area theaters are still firmly closed for indoor productions, some smaller venues around South Florida have already opened their doors, with a few notable precautions in place. Each pod of audience members at the Lake Worth Playhouse’s current production of Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar And Grill by Laine Robin, playing there until this May 16th, were seated at a healthy social distance from all others and instructed to wear their masks throughout the performance.
What, exactly, makes a thing theatre? That straightforward question has turned on its head by the COVID-19 pandemic, which made the conventional theatrical experience all but impossible.
In a way, I suppose it’s my sinful nature that saw me impulsively buying a ticket to the second of two opening night performances of Miami New Drama’s deliciously wicked Seven Deadly Sins at near to the last minute. There’s no denying I’m a glutton for theatre, and after a near-nine-month fast, I was positively ravenous.
The quick pop-up pop-down nature of most of the super-cool virtual theatre that has been happening also isn’t conducive to written reflection. An adaption of a play into a podcast series has the benefit of being a permanently available object to direct my attention. Fort Lauderdale company, New City Players, has also thought of a way to maintain the “shared experience” aspect of theatre in a safe and contactless way by holding an in-person listening party for their play-turned-podcast Little Montgomery this coming Saturday, November 14th.
Pigs Do Fly Productions continues its sixth season with Helen On Wheels, a play by Cricket Daniels that first produced in 2014. The company’s unique mission is to show that over 50 can still live their lives in interesting, involved, and exciting ways and showcase performers over 50 in the process.
NOTE: Spoilers from here on out on this because I’m assuming most of you know the story!
It’s always interesting to look back on a favorite childhood fairy tale with an adult’s eyes. I got the chance this weekend at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center, where Beauty in the Beast is running only until this March 8th.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To The Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York City is now playing until this March 1 at the Sol Children’s Theatre, courtesy of theatre company Primal Forces. The 2016 play by Halley Feiffer is not to be confused with A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, the famous Sondheim musical the former work’s title is an exceedingly wordy riff.
The West Boca Theatre Company’s current production of My Name Is Asher Lev earns a unique and high compliment: of all the plays I’ve written about in the past 5ish months (my, how time flies), it’s the only one that I left actively inspired to create.
