‘The Berlin Diaries’ come to believable life at Theatre Lab

Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography Avi Hoffman and Niki Fridh are animated as they portray characters in The Berlin Diaries.   By AARON KRAUSE Playwright Andrea Stolowitz found lost relatives as she developed her autobiographical play, The Berlin Diaries. And now, while watching the funny and moving piece, you have...

Read more
Controversial ‘Bent’ is a cautionary play for our times

Controversial ‘Bent’ is a cautionary play for our times

  Warning: This play contains brief nudity, disturbing images, and subject matter. Photo by Preston Bircher Max (Matthew Salas) tries to get a point across to Rudy (Ben Shaevitz) in a co-production of the historical play, “Bent.”   By AARON KRAUSE If Martin Sherman’s moving and disturbing, at times implausible...

Read more
‘The People Downstairs’ receive much-deserved recognition at Dramaworks

‘The People Downstairs’ receive much-deserved recognition at Dramaworks

Photo by Alicia Donelan Photography Henk (Bruce Linser) and Miep (Amy Miller Brennan) comfort each other during a scene from Palm Beach Dramaworks’ world premiere production of  The People Downstairs.   By AARON KRAUSE If you knew him, you may not have wanted to invite Mr. Visser to your house....

Read more
Approaching Anne Frank from another angle

Approaching Anne Frank from another angle

Photo by Tim Stepien Amy Miller Brennan plays Miep Gies in the world premiere production of Michael McKeever’s play, The People Downstairs.   By AARON KRAUSE Whenever Palm Beach Dramaworks (PBD) Producing Artistic Director William Hayes read or watched Anne Frank’s story play out on stage or screen, he wondered...

Read more
The 1950’s feel like today in compelling ‘Ordinary Americans’

The 1950’s feel like today in compelling ‘Ordinary Americans’

Photo courtesy of GableStage   Gertrude “Tillie” Berg (Elizabeth Dimon) asks a favor from Cardinal Spellman in the world premiere co-production of Joseph McDonough’s play Ordinary Americans.   By AARON KRAUSE CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Late actor Philip Loeb was a “stain,” which wouldn’t “go away,” if you believe one...

Read more
‘Wiesenthal’ is a winner at GableStage

‘Wiesenthal’ is a winner at GableStage

Photo by George Schiavone Simon Wiesenthal (David Kwiat) takes some time to reflect in the one-character play, Wiesenthal.   By AARON KRAUSE CORAL GABLES — An admirable quality of one-person plays is their ability to establish an especially intimate connection between the audience and the character. Such a bond can...

Read more
‘Indecent’ entertains and exercises minds at GableStage

‘Indecent’ entertains and exercises minds at GableStage

(Photo by George Schiavone) Yekel (David Kwiat) deals harshly with his daughter, Rivkele (Hannah Benitez), while her mother (Irene Adjan) tries to restrain her husband. By AARON KRAUSE CORAL GABLES, Fla. — “They say America is free? What do you know here is free?” The above line is from Paula...

Read more
Little-known Holocaust-era photograph is subject of new play being presented

Little-known Holocaust-era photograph is subject of new play being presented

The cast of Moisés Kaufman’s The Album MIAMI BEACH –Moisés Kaufman’s father survived the Holocaust. So you can imagine what the younger man thought when he saw photos of Nazis partying at a resort near an infamous concentration camp. “When I saw these pictures, something very personal happened,” said the renown...

Read more
Characters, issues in If I Forget will stay with you

Characters, issues in If I Forget will stay with you

Photo by George Schiavone Holly Fischer (Patti Gardner) speaks her piece as family members look on in GableStage’s production of If I Forget. CORAL GABLES, Fla. — In Tony Award-winning playwright Steven Levenson’s deeply unsettling drama If I Forget, dread hovers over a family like funnel clouds over Hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico last...

Read more
Touching bioplay relates a part of ‘Dr. Ruth’ we might not know

Touching bioplay relates a part of ‘Dr. Ruth’ we might not know

  Photo courtesy of GableStage.   CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Chances are, you won’t have the opportunity to visit renown sex therapist Ruth Westheimer (“Dr. Ruth”) in her New York home. The next best thing awaits you through Dec. 24 at suburban Miami’s GableStage. That is where the media personality will...

Read more