O Christmas Tree makes triumphant world premiere as a new holiday play
Courtesy of Thinking Cap Theatre Family members Grandma Anne (Carol Sussman), Frankie (Phillip Andrew Santiago), and Claudia (Angelina Lopez Catledge) rejoice during the world premiere production of O Christmas Tree. By AARON KRAUSE An interfaith family coexists peacefully while respecting and celebrating their differences in O Christmas Tree, a...
Island City Stage’s “The Mystery of Irma Vep” is consistently entertaining
Photo by Matthew Tippins Nicodemus Underwood (Larry Buzzeo, back) startles Jane Twisden (Bruce Linser) in Island City Stage’s production of The Mystery of Irma Vep. By AARON KRAUSE Comic brilliance is on display at Island City Stage (ICS). There, a side-splitting production of the hilarious 1984 spoof, The Mystery...
‘Ben Butler’ is not your average play about war
Photo by Amy Pasquantonio Major Cary (Jim Gibbons) argues with Major General Benjamin Butler (Troy J. Stanley) in Boca Stage’s production of Ben Butler. By AARON KRAUSE You normally would not expect to laugh uproariously while watching a play about the Civil War, set during that time period. But...
MNM’s ‘Sister Act’ is heavenly
Photo by Amy Pasquantonio The cast of Sister Act is divine. By AARON KRAUSE While you might not rush to buy the cast recording, the stage musical adaptation of the hit 1992 film, Sister Act, starring Whoopi Goldberg and Maggie Smith, nevertheless succeeds. For instance, the live show features...
Boca Stage’s ‘Rx’ is just what the doctor ordered
Photo by Amy Pasquantonio Dr. Phil Gray (Timothy Mark Davis) is in desperate need of help as Ed (Jim Gibbons) tries to provide assistance. By AARON KRAUSE Connected shapes dot the dark upstage wall as part of the set design for Boca Stage’s humorous, touching, and believable production of...
Love is real — and surreal — in Almost, Maine
Photo by Tim Stepien Brandon Morris (left) and Niki Fridh play two of many characters who are dealing with love in John Cariani’s play, Almost, Maine. By AARON KRAUSE It is frigid these days at Palm Beach Dramaworks (PBD). Therefore, frostbite is a distinct possibility in a part of...
‘Tootsie’ tickles the funny bone, inspires in national tour
Photo by Evan Zimmerman Jeff Slater (Jared David Michael Grant) looks on amusingly as Michael Dorsey (Drew Becker) argues with Sandy Lester (Payton Reilly) in a non-equity national touring production of Tootsie. By AARON KRAUSE There is at least one time for celebration in Tootsie, the engaging and compelling,...
An invigorating Mamma Mia! at The Wick
Photo by Amy Pasquantonio Donna Sheridan (Jodie Langel, center) clowns around with her friends, Tanya (Aaron Bower, left) and Rosie (Britte Steele) in The Wick Theatre’s energetic production of Mamma Mia! By AARON KRAUSE When Mamma Mia! opened on Broadway in October 2001, the entire country was hurting. A...
‘A Special Day’ awaits you at Miami New Drama
Photo courtesy of Miami New Drama Ana Graham and Antonio Vega appear in A Special Day. By AARON KRAUSE What better way to mark the return of live, in-person theater than to celebrate the major role an audience’s imagination plays in this unique art form? In fact, the...
A Mastodon not easily forgotten
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 Our roughly nine-and-a-half-foot tall heroine lumbers across the stage. Then, she settles into a chair in a vocational advisor’s office. Not long after,...
