Slow Burn’s ‘Anastasia’ sparkles

Slow Burn’s ‘Anastasia’ sparkles

Photo courtesy of Slow Burn Theatre Company The titular character (center, Mikayla Cohen,) receives lessons in gracefulness from conmen Dmitry (left, Jarod Bakum) and Vlad (right, Aaron De Jesus).   By AARON KRAUSE Who are you? While you probably know your name, maybe you have not studied your family’s past...

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Palm Beach Dramaworks’ remount of ‘The Dresser’ is stirring entertainment

Palm Beach Dramaworks’ remount of ‘The Dresser’ is stirring entertainment

Photo by Curtis Brown Colin McPhillamy, as Sir (front) and Bill Hayes as Norman (back, left) lead the cast of Palm Beach Dramaworks’ remount of ‘The Dresser’   By AARON KRAUSE In Ronald Harwood’s touching 1980 backstage drama, The Dresser, the familiar and perhaps unfamiliar merge to form a humorous,...

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‘The Dresser,’ a human story offering a peak backstage, to open at Palm Beach Dramaworks

‘The Dresser,’ a human story offering a peak backstage, to open at Palm Beach Dramaworks

Photo by Curtis Brown Photography Bill Hayes (standing) plays Norman, the dresser for Actor-Manager Sir (Colin McPhillamy)   By AARON KRAUSE While Ronald Harwood’s celebrated play The Dresser offers a backstage glimpse of live theater, ultimately the piece is not about the art form, according to Bill Hayes. “It is...

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‘Some Like it Hot’ sizzles as it tours Florida

‘Some Like it Hot’ sizzles as it tours Florida

Photo by Matthew Murphy Tavis Kordell as Jerry/Daphne plays opposite to Matt Loehr’s Joe/Josephine in the equity touring production of Some Like it Hot.   By AARON KRAUSE No offence to Marilyn Monroe, but her likable character in the 1959 classic comedy film Some Like it Hot is still little...

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‘The Last Christmas’ at New City Players may make you feel less alone

‘The Last Christmas’ at New City Players may make you feel less alone

By AARON KRAUSE It is nearly midnight on a pitch-black Christmas Eve. Everybody is sound asleep, and it’s deathly quiet. Suddenly you feel lonely and dreadful. But then a soft yet reassuring voice from the radio fills the vast space and instantly puts you at ease. Such a scene may...

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PBD: Get lost in award-winning ‘Lost in Yonkers’

PBD: Get lost in award-winning ‘Lost in Yonkers’

  By AARON KRAUSE When you hear the name Neil Simon, perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is comedy. Indeed, the late great playwright’s early work is most notable for, among other things, snappy one-liners. But Simon’s talent extends beyond his ability to make people laugh. This is...

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Theatre Lab’s ‘The Last Yiddish Speaker’ is haunting

Theatre Lab’s ‘The Last Yiddish Speaker’ is haunting

Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography Chava (Patti Gardner) and Sarah (Gemma Berg) enjoy an easy rapport in The Last Yiddish Speaker.” Looking on is Sarah’s father, Paul (Stephen Schnetzer).    By AARON KRAUSE Forget ghosts and goblins. Deborah Zoe Laufer’s frightening and moving drama, The Last Yiddish Speaker, centers on...

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These ‘Steel Magnolias’ will win you over at Empire Stage

These ‘Steel Magnolias’ will win you over at Empire Stage

Photo courtesy of Art Buzz Theatrics and Florida Theatrical Events Shelby (Alexandra Van Hasselt, front) and Clairee (Elissa D. Solomon) laugh during an upbeat scene from a South Florida co-production of the Robert Harling comedy-drama, Steel Magnolias.   By AARON KRAUSE In the script for his funny and moving 1980’s-set...

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Island City Stage’s ‘Die, Mommie, Die’ offers laughs aplenty

Island City Stage’s ‘Die, Mommie, Die’ offers laughs aplenty

Photo by Matthew Tippins Tony Parker (Clay Cartland) tries to calm Edith Sussman (Susanna Ninomiya) in Island City Stage’s production of Die, Mommie, Die!   By AARON KRAUSE While summer camp is over for kids, a different kind of camp is in session for adults at Island City Stage (ICS)....

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‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ opens Loxen’s season

‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ opens Loxen’s season

    By AARON KRAUSE If South Florida’s Loxen Entertainment, Inc. does its job well during the nonprofit company’s season-opening show, the actors will seem inept. Indeed, appearing incompetent is the goal for the season opener…and no, that’s not a misprint. “The whole show needs to look like a disaster,...

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