The arrival of the fiftieth anniversary tour of Jesus Christ Superstar at Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center is perhaps the perfect occasion to reflect on the fact that the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber have become such an established part of the modern musical theatre canon that it can be easy to forget just how damn weird they are. Case in point: a rousing rock musical that takes as its subject the persecution and eventual execution of the claimed son of God. Undeniably a bold move, especially for an era when rock opera itself was still a relatively young genre, and one that invited criticism from Jews and Christians alike— with the Christians accusing the show of blasphemy in its ambiguous portrayal of its central figure and Jews up in arms about the portrayal of those of their religion as mostly villains.

In a way, the fact that “The Belle Of Amherst” is even being performed in its full glory is a triumph to be celebrated, a welcome indication of live theatre’s return after a long intermission in which an earlier incarnation of this production was relegated to streaming. And there’s certainly much to enjoy in Palm Beach Dramaworks’ in-person rendering of this one-woman show by William Luce, which stars accomplished area actress Margery Lowe as acclaimed poet Emily Dickinson.

When thinking about what might make for a rousing night of comedy, “murder” may not exactly be at the top of your list. But while Actors’ Playhouse’s production of Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of Murder On The Orient Express maintains enough of the suspensefulness of the Agatha Christie original to make for a compelling evening, it also makes for a surprising amount of good plain fun.

The biographical jukebox musical, which tell the life story of a famous musical artist or group using their well-known songs as a score, has become a relatively popular mini-genre in recent years. However, it isn’t actually one that I have terribly much experience with, since the aura of conventionality surrounding these shows isn’t typically one that attracts me. In fact, prior to getting invited to Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, which is currently playing at the Kravis Center after its initial winter run was delayed due to the Omicron outbreak, I probably wouldn’t have even recognized the name Donna Summer, despite her status as an incredibly influential artist whose hits landed her the moniker “disco queen.”