The Kravis Center has had a relentlessly fantastic Broadway lineup for its 2024-2025 season, and the one currently making all the local headlines in Palm Beach County is Les Misérables, a darling favorite for lovers of musical theater. Having been a fan of this show for many years, this was actually my first time getting to see Les Mis as a Broadway production, so I knew it was one I couldn’t miss. Even though I wasn’t feeling my best, I knew red, the blood of angry men, would brighten me up, and I was greeted with a show of the greatest level of production quality one can reach.
Tolstoy’s famous quote that “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” likely applies double to families of artists. Actually, both happy and unhappy parts tend to be exacerbated by artistic temperaments known for remarkable sensitivity, passion … but also selfishness.
No matter how many times you happen to have seen Hamlet, odds are likely low that you have ever seen anything like Fat Ham. And, assuming you are lucky enough to snag a highly sought after ticket, you would be missing out on a genuinely good time if you choose not to indulge in this delicious morsel of a BBQ-meets-Shakespeare tale at Wilton Manors’ Island City Stage, where it will be playing until only this May 4th.
From the moment we walk in to Palm Beach Dramaworks’ current production of Camping with Henry and Tom, we are ushered into the world of the play through Bert Scott’s stunningly detailed forest set. If not for a screen against the back wall of the stage, onto which are projected images and video designed by Adam J Thompson that further set the scene with period appropriate imagery, one could almost be fooled into thinking they were still outside!
The expression “opposites attract” does not always apply in the evolution of relationships. Playwright David Auburn’s drama “Summer, 1976”, running now through April 20 at GableStage in Coral Gables, is a dramatic story of how two women who seem to have nothing in common eventually come to appreciate their differences over a period of close to five decades.
Currently in its 78th season, the Delray Beach Playhouse just wrapped a production of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, which ran March 21st through April 13th, and it brought to life one of Agatha Christie’s most-famous detective novels, of the same name. Featuring local South Florida talent, the company produces classic theater for the Delray community, situated right on the edge of Lake Ida. For those that have not been to one of hidden gem’s performances yet, I highly recommend making an evening out of their final production of the season: The Bridges of Madison County.
“Some enchanted evening, when you find your true love…” For me that enchanted evening took place at the outdoor Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh, NY. Many, many years ago, when I was 16. And the “true love” that I found was a lifelong passion for live theater (musicals in particular).
If New York Times deputy editor of culture and lifestyle Melissa Kirsch finds herself suffering from “the blues” attributed to too many hours spent scrolling and watching digital screens (aware of the dangers of FOMO, she no longer checks out Facebook friends), where does that leave the rest of us? What Kirsch was watching – even those cute Instagram dog reels – didn’t matter as much as the quantity: her brain was simply overtaxed from constantly “consuming content” at the expense of live human interaction.
Every song tells a story. . .and Respect: A Musical Journey of Women, the latest installment in the Pompano Players’ inaugural season, has dozens to share. This toe-tapping yet thought-provoking revue boasts excerpts of 60 songs by popular women in the music industry. Together, these numbers create a narrative about the journey of women and the ups and downs they have faced throughout history—following their dreams, falling in love, dealing with heartbreak, pursuing their careers, enjoying their independence, and everything in between. The show was created by Dorothy Marcic, a professor at Columbia University, and was originally produced in New York. Since its original run, it has played thousands of performances in over 70 cities (and counting). Now, the production is here in South Florida, directed by Jeremy Quinn (who has also helmed other shows in the Pompano Players’ current season, including hit plays Love, Loss & What I Wore and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change).
In classic fashion, Slow Burn Theatre Company’s current production of Something Rotten! at the Amaturo Theater of the Broward Center is a fast-paced and utterly hilarious celebration of the theater, musicals, and everything Shakespeare. With another outstanding cast, memorable choreography, and razor-sharp comedy, the company’s latest is one of their greatest to-date. The infectious atmosphere and energy of Broadway can be found in every scene and every song, all while bringing forth laughter from every mouth in the audience. If you enjoy anything theatrical, I guarantee you’ll enjoy this one, too.
