This lighthearted ‘Legend’ will whisk you away from your worries
CORAL GABLES, Fla. Go ahead, poke fun at drag queens all you want. Call them weirdos, freaks or any other name to express your disapproval at their lifestyle or your inherent dislike of them, for whatever reason. The bottom line is that at least twice now in the make-believe world...
Cast of The Cripple of Inishmaan finds humanity behind characters’ oddities
WEST PALM BEACH — If he were a real person, Johnnypateenmike O’Dougal would never win a “Citizen of the Year” award. Guaranteed. He talks incessantly, regardless of whether anyone in the room wants to hear his babble. He’s a self-centered, rude, loud, crotchety, curmudgeon. Picture an individual walking into a...
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...
Touring ‘Matilda’ is a theatrical experience to remember and cherish
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — You can associate any one of many ferocious animals with the formidable, fiendish, she-devil of a school headmistress, Agatha Trunchbull, in renown author Roald Dahl’s beloved tale “Matilda.” But it’s safe to say we all become mother bears whenever we watch adults – particularly of the...
Could Beckett’s world in ‘Godot’ be a preview of a bleak future world?
By AARON KRAUSE BOCA RATON, Fla. — With a Trumpian America in full swing, and the resulting uncertainty, fear and dread of many citizens, not just those of the U.S., perhaps it’s time to look at the much-analyzed and confounding “Waiting for Godot” through a dystopian, futuristic lens. Seeing Samuel...
This ‘Little Mermaid’ largely sinks
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The mostly dull theme park attraction which opened Wednesday at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts isn’t without merit. Diana Huey, who plays the lead role of mermaid Ariel in the second-rate attraction (sorry, musical) “Disney’s The Little Mermaid,” can sing pleasantly, powerfully and clearly. She...
Chief villain of ‘Newsies” can bring to mind our current commander-in-chief
It’s probably not popular to brand a journalist a villain during these early days of the Trump presidency, what with his attacks on the media. Champions of the First Amendment surely will cast journalists in a positive light and “The Donald” in a negative one. But flash back to the...