Strong dancing key in telling the tale of ‘An American in Paris’
MIAMI, Fla. — Anyone who has seen the musicals “West Side Story” and “Billy Elliot” knows that dance plays an integral role in those shows’ storytelling. During parts of “West Side Story,” tough, aggressive dance moves mirror the fearless and gritty personalities of the gang members. In a scene from...
This ‘tragedy’ is actually hilarious
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Never has a tragedy been as funny as the one-man, hilarious comedy on-stage at Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center in Boca Raton through Jan. 29, one stop on a national tour. In fact, the use of the word “tragedy” in the play’s title is meant for...
Musical about historic 1950s jam session sure to bring back memories
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Goodness, gracious, great bursts of fire radiate from the upstairs stage of the Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables, where the stirring musical “Million Dollar Quartet” is enjoying an electric production through Jan 1. The Tony Award winning show, which enjoyed a Broadway...
The ‘sneaky,’ ‘invisible’ designers behind the scenes of a live theater production
By AARON KRA– USE NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — Projection design in live theater can aid in telling a story, a practitioner told members of a theater critics group recently. That’s true, agreed another projection designer. But there are times when projection design isn’t appropriate, she added. The two individuals were...
An original musical’s journey
By AARON KRA– USE NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — A caring, open-minded producer and perceptive, engaged audience members played crucial roles in the success story of the original new Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen’s” journey from page to stage. That is what a group of theater critics learned recently during...
A ‘Tru’ story about a celebrity writer depicted as a flesh and blood human
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — If the true-life tales of successful, famous individuals like Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe have taught us anything, it’s that such celebrities are people like anybody else. They’re not immune to feelings of abandonment and other forms of emotional pain we all experience at different...
Poetic, seasonal, non-sectarian show is worth seeing
NORTH MIAMI — ‘Tis the season for gifts, goodwill, holiday cheer and feasts. Holiday theatrical fare usually includes ample portions of Ebenezer Scrooge (bah! Humbug!)…and that boy who can’t seem to convince the adults in his life that he’s a good enough shot. “A Christmas Carol” and “A Christmas Story”...
Comedy features more than a cameo from the man upstairs
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — God, resplendent in a pristine white robe, enters the stage behind a smoke-like effect and flashes a smile as bright as the sky-blue backdrop with white clouds behind him. It’s not Jesus who graces our presence, but the Almighty who, in the beginning, created the heavens...
An enticing trip ‘Into the Woods’ starts at Tampa’s Straz Center, continues up north
TAMPA, Fla. — “No one acts alone” are a few of the lyrics in the sadly honest, yet reassuring and gentle song “No One Is Alone” in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s bold, meaty but at times murky musical “Into the Woods.” The song’s title describes one of the strengths...
‘Perfect Arrangement’ eerily echoes our troubled times
WILTON MANORS, Fla. — As people march in defiance in the wake of Donald Trump’s election, fear may be lurking beneath their façade of unapologetic rebellion. Some individuals, particularly members of minority groups, feel their rights will be taken away. In this climate of uncertainty, anger and even panic, a...
