Oh Anastasia – the last, lost princess of Imperial Russia’s Romanov dynasty. Is her story a legend?… A fairy tale?… A wish?… A dream? 

A maddened leader surrounded by flattering sycophants and slipping into senility. Betrayal, backstabbing, a nation under siege. No, I’m not describing King Lear, though the similarities are by no means coincidental. I’m describing The Dresser, a 1980 play by Ronald Harwood that revolves around a dysfunctional British theatre troupe’s performance of the aforementioned tragedy—in January of 1942. 

Written By Michelle F. Solomon

Originally published on artburstmiami.com.

Two stuffed chairs with a guitar leaning against one of them; a small table between with a large retro ceramic lamp with a white shade; two microphone stands; at stage right is a baby grand piano; Oriental rugs of different sizes are underneath. This is the atmosphere that sets the scene for GableStage’s “Both Sides Now: The Music and Lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen.”

Premiering the week before Christmas at the Au-Rene Theater of the Broward Center, Broadway Across America presents Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical to excited fans of the South Florida area. At a showing only available in Broward, the production is 90-minute, no intermission musical jammed pack with everything you love about the green menace, the spirit of Christmas, and classic Seussian rhymes. The story of the musical combines elements of Dr. Seuss’ book alongside visual aesthetics that stem from the Jim Carrey live-action film from 2000, and while rushed to feel at moments, I was in awe of the product unveiling before me.

Just about every ballet company performs a rendition of “The Nutcracker” ballet, and it is for good reason. Not only is it one of the most recognizable Christmas stories, drawing in crowds of the holiday and the craft at once, but it also heavily features dancers of all ages. Miami City Ballet’s version, the George Balanchine version that caught like wildfire after its New York City Ballet premiere, but with minor South Florida additions, is everything a viewer could want: happy kids, beautiful dancing, spectacular visual effects, and Christmas, of course.

As we approach the holidays in a world where families and nations are often disrupted, if not destroyed, we can all use a reminder that “God works in mysterious ways.” To get to that second chance at happiness – like the four life-scarred (aren’t we all?) characters in Jason Odell Williams’ HANDLE WITH CARE – it can’t hurt to laugh, to weep, and even to connect with a person “who doesn’t speak your language.”