A different kind of self portrait
Hammond Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography Jess the Mastodon and her human friends coexist in Rachel Teagle’s new play, The Impracticality of Modern-Day Mastodons. By AARON KRAUSE Jim Hammond’s “self-portrait” doesn’t quite resemble him. After all, the work of art stands about nine-and-a-half-feet tall. And it measures roughly 12-feet long...
‘Fuacata’ is timely, touching, and humorous at Actors’ Playhouse
Photo courtesy of Chris Headshots Elena Maria Garcia (above) portrays more than a dozen characters in Fuacata!: Or, a Latina’s Guide to Surviving the Universe. By AARON KRAUSE Listening to and rooting for a “Super Latina Super Hero” might strengthen resolve during a time when Cubans are openly demonstrating...
Award winning actor inhabits more than 20 characters in one-performer show
Photo courtesy of Elena Maria Garcia Elena Maria Garcia plays a variety of characters in her one-performer show By AARON KRAUSE By her admission, Elena Maria Garcia is the type of person who will easily complete 10 tasks if someone designates that many for her. So, it is not entirely...
Sparks fly in New Normal Rep’s riveting ‘Lines in the Dust’
© New Normal Rep The cast of New Normal Rep’s production of Lines in the Dust comprises (from left) Lisa Rosetta Strum as Dr. Beverly Long, Melissa Joyner as Denitra Morgan, and Jeffrey Bean as Mike DiMaggio. By AARON KRAUSE All Denitra Morgan wants is for her daughter,...
Perhaps you’ve never heard of this ‘Cowboy.’
Photo courtesy of Christa Ingraham Theater artist Layon Gray directs and stars as deputy U.S. marshal Bass Reeves in M Ensemble’s Cowboy. By AARON KRAUSE If I don’t tell the stories, who will? It’s not just a rhetorical question but an attitude through which multi award-winning theater artist Layon...
Broadway series coming to Lauderhill
Live, in-person theater will return to the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center in 2022. Specifically, patrons can look forward to a professional, three-show series next year. Those musicals are Grease, Sister Act, and Guys and Dolls. They will comprise the inaugural Broadway at LPAC series at the Lauderhill Performing Arts...
Area Stage’s immersive ‘Annie’ shines
Photo by Giancarlo Rodaz The orphans look up to Annie in Area Stage Company’s immersive production By AARON KRAUSE Young, visionary director Giancarlo Rodaz’s winning approach in Area Stage Company’s (ASC) current unorthodox, yet triumphant production of the classic musical Annie features eight actors playing all roles. That compares to a...
‘Bright Colors and Bold Patterns’ is a comic delight at Island City Stage
Photo by Matthew Tippins Gerry (Thomas Mark) makes a grand entrance in Island City Stage’s production of Bright Colors and Bold Patterns. By AARON KRAUSE While watching Drew Droege’s delightfully comic, single-character play, Bright Colors and Bold Patterns, one might wonder: Is the horizontally big fellow at the piece’s...
ICS’ ‘The Niceties’ neatly captures the zeitgeist
Photo by Matthew Tippins Zoe (Rachel Michelle Bryant) is clearly unhappy with her professor (Lisa Kay King) in Island City Stage’s production of The Niceties. By AARON KRAUSE “What are you doing to promote equality?” a black college student demands of her white professor in Eleanor Burgess’s taut, intense,...
GableStage selects its next leader
Photo courtesy of Magnus Stark By AARON KRAUSE During her time as associate director of Florida Repertory Theatre in Ft. Myers, Bari Newport heard about another theater company down south. It was a company that was consistently doing work that everyone else admired, Newport recalled hearing. “What was...
