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...
‘No Way to Treat a Lady’ hampered by one-dimensional performance at Broward Stage Door Theatre
MARGATE, Fla. — There are times when we like bad, even horrible people. Look no further than musicals such as “Peter Pan” (who doesn’t like, or at least have fun with Captain Hook?) “Chicago,” “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” and “Sweeney Todd.” Characters in these types of shows...
Promising new play receives riveting world premiere by Ft. Lauderdale-area theater company
WILTON MANORS, Fla. — Like a speeding bulldozer crushing everything in its path, a nightmarish past comes barreling back into the lives of two lesbians about to get married in “Son,” a new work by playwright James L. Beller Jr. The promising new play, which needs work, is receiving its...
‘Jersey Boys’ music still resonates with audiences if Miami audience is any measuring stick
Their music has become so well-known and popular that a song barely begins before thunderous clapping fills the auditorium. During a recent performance, the audience’ clapping was so loud and sustained at various points that hands, no doubt, turned as red as roses offered with love on Valentine’s Day. Roughly...
LBJ depicted with vivid detail in Actors’ Playhouse powerful production of ‘All the Way’
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Imagine that a bunch of folks have hoisted you into the air with your stomach facing down. They’re engaged in a tug-of-war of sorts with you and the groups oppose each other: One group pulls you hard by the right arm, another by the left arm,...
Palm Beach Dramaworks lives up to its motto with lively staing of cerebral ‘Arcadia’
WEST PALM BEACH — Some plays require preparation before seeing them, even for the most sophisticated theatergoers. You can’t just walk into the theater knowing nothing about the work and expect to be able to easily follow it without getting frustrated. Tom Stoppard’s Olivier-Award-winning “Arcadia” is such a work. If...
‘Dry Powder’ isn’t dry theater as GableStage’s powerful production proves
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The two characters with opposing views in “Dry Powder,” a scorching, relevant, riveting and unpredictable comic-drama set in the high-stakes world of big-city finance, might as well wear protective helmets and faceguards. There’s enough verbal combat to leave the combatants bloody and bruised if the power...
‘Something Rotten’s!’ current tour is perfect timing for arts funding advocacy
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — If you need extra incentive to advocate for arts funding in the wake of the proposed elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities as part of President Trump’s budget, what better way to receive that added drive than by...
‘A Special Day’ staged in a unique way by Miami New Drama
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — You might have seen the 1977 Italian, Academy Award-nominated film “A Special Day” (“Una Giornata Particolare” in Italian). But you likely haven’t seen it performed on stage in the ingenious manner Miami New Drama is presenting the comic, touching story. You have four more chances to...
A big bravo to Slow Burn Theatre Company’s ‘Big River’
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Ft. Lauderdale-based Slow Burn Theatre Company demonstrates why it received 12 Carbonell Award nominations this year through its strong production of “Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” It’s easy to gloss over the musical’s flaws with the talent on display on the Broward Center for...
