Phantom sequel’s lush melodies, visuals enthrall
Photo by Joan Marcus The Phantom, regularly played by Gardar Thor Cortes (left), seduces Christine Daae (Meghan Picerno) in the national tour of Love Never Dies. FT. LAUDERDALE — There are moments in Love Never Dies, the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, that will likely startle, or...
Slow Burn’s less-is-more approach works with Tarzan
Photo by Rodrigo Balfanz Tarzan (Natale Pirrotta) and Jane (Lindsey Corey) share a moment in Slow Burn Theatre Company’s production of Tarzan. FT. LAUDERDALE — There are lighting effects galore (some overdone, some mood-enhancing by Thomas Shorrock) in Slow Burn Theatre Company’s mostly commendable, high-flying production of Tarzan: The Stage...
Boca’s Wick Theatre serves up a musical treat with The Drowsy Chaperone
Jacob Thompson plays the hilarious, seductive Adolpho in The Wick Theatre’s fabulous production of The Drowsy Chaperone. BOCA RATON — Folks attending the Broadway musical-within-a-comedy The Drowsy Chaperone might want to bring a large envelope or gift box with wrapping paper. The show is so enjoyable – as is The Wick Theatre’s...
They’re ‘On Their Feet’ in Miami
Photo by Matthew Murphy Christie Prades and Mauricio Martinez play Emilio and Gloria Estefan in a national touring production of On Your Feet! MIAMI — Exactly two years after the bio-musical On Your Feet! The Emilio & Gloria Estefan Broadway Musical opened for previews on Broadway, the first national touring production...
PBD’s Sweeney Todd is riveting
Sweeney Todd (Shane R. Tanner) raises his razor high (Photo courtesy of Palm Beach Dramaworks). WEST PALM BEACH — How do you sympathize with a barber who slashes the throats of his customers, instantly killing them and sending their remains down a chute for his partner-in-crime to bake them...
South Florida theater company offers a winning production of It Shoulda Been You
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Even if everything’s calm and orderly “behind the scenes,” moments before a bride and groom walk down the aisle, you never know what drama might be unfolding among the guests. Aunt Delores might be a wreck in a happy kind of way, crying profusely as she...
Taken into the mind of a frustrated, tortured artist
MARGATE, Fla. — There’s a moment during the Tony-Award-winning musical “Nine” when a cacophony of voices drifts through the air, belonging to women speaking, or even shouting, on top of one another. The resulting noise vividly symbolizes the chaos racing through the mind of renown but struggling Italian filmmaker Guido Contini,...
LCT’s ‘The King and I’ is an emotionally-rich experience, as national tour proves
MIAMI — “The King and I,” to borrow King Mongkut’s words, is a puzzlement. How can two people who’ve irritated each other so much, two people who seemingly have nothing in common, have such a profound effect on each other? That surprisingly strong, life-changing effect is at the heart of...
Death and Harry Houdini amazes with captivating magic
By AARON KRAUSE MIAMI — It’s not every day that famed magician and escape artist Harry Houdini flings playing cards at you, interacts with you and even calls you up as a volunteer to participate in one of his tricks. Then again, it’s not every day that you witness a...
Slow Burn Theatre Company’s ‘Aida’ contains emotional depth
FT. LAUDERDALE — “Love Transcends Death” is a poem by Naoimh Spence, but it’s also a powerful premise in several theatrical shows, including “Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida,” a heartfelt, touching tale of honor, loyalty and forbidden love which is receiving a remarkable production by the Carbonell Award-winning, Ft. Lauderdale-based Slow Burn...
