South Florida Theatre Scene

Mondays are Dark

2012-02-13T01:00:00.001-05:00

What a Coincidence!
Miami Artzine reports that The Playground Theatre's new Sandbox Series opens on Valentine's day, and the evening's offering is called Love Stories. What are the chances?

New is New, and Old is New
The Sun-Sentinel reminds us that Louis Tyrell, founder of the late and lamented Florida Stage, is kicking off Theater at Arts Garage on each Tuesday this month. Meanwhile, The Examiner reports that Florida Stage's old digs in Manalapan is home to The Plaza Theatre, opening this week with Donna McKechnie's one woman show My Musical Comedy Life.

Homecoming for La Cage Star
The Shiny Sheet reminds us that George Hamilton, star of screen and the current tour of La Cage Aux Folles, is a South Florida native.

Hamilton spent his late teens in Palm Beach and began his acting career at Palm Beach High School, where he earned a state prize for his starring role in Brigadoon before heading to Hollywood to try his luck in the movies.

Palm Beach High became Twin Lakes High, which in turn has become The Dreyfoos School of the Arts, which is adjacent to The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, where La Cage opens this Tuesday.

In the Green Room
Florida Theater On Stage interviews the inimitable Barbara Bradshaw.

BAA Announces Next Season at Broward Center
Florida Theater On Stage has the line up that Broadway Across America is bringing to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts for their 2012-2013 season. Million Dollar Quartet, Sister Act, Flashdance, and a re-tooled The Addams Family all lead up to the show everyone really wants to see: War Horse. Oh, and Wicked.

Speaking of Broward Center
The next Broadway tour at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts is Billy Elliot, and Broadway World talks it up.

Painting the Town
The Palm Beach Post talks with the cast of Jupiter Theatre's production of RED. If the play sounds familiar, GableStage's critically acclaimed production played to packed houses just a few months ago. If you saw it there, you should see it here; it's a rare opportunity to see how different artistic visions can express the same script for us.

Perspective
The Arsht Center has been in operation a little more than five years, and Stage Directions report that they just replaced their lighting system. Compare that to The Broward Center, which is finally raising money to overhaul their two-decades-old space; they're still using the original Colortran lighting system installed in the late eighties!

Got a Minute?
The Rake Theater fills us in on the First South Florida One-Minute Play Festival, opening February 26 at The Deering Estate in Miami.

Censor-Free Grove Commentary
The Coconut Grove Grapevine picked up on the censorship at Save the Coconut Grove Playhouse, and created a place for Grovites to leave comments about The Playhouse.

Meanwhile...
...in Palm Beach, the Royal Poinciana Playhouse is still closed. But the owner of the property is making some wild claims in The Shiny Sheet:

■ The Playhouse is available for lease and has been since we took control of the property in 2008.

■ We have spent more than $9,000 on 14 regularly run advertisements in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal during the last two years offering the Playhouse for rent. These efforts have yielded only a few out-of-state calls.

We find this curious; every week, we do an internet search on the three Playhouses mouldering in South Florida. And not once in the last five years that we've been doing these searches has a single listing of for The Royal Poinciana Playhouse appeared anywhere on the internet. It must be one amazingly crappy piece of writing if it hasn't popped up once in our approximately 260 web searches on the subject.

Anagram Entertainement: Top Gun! The Musical (2 reviews)

2012-02-11T14:34:00.002-05:00

Anagram Entertainment opened its production of Top Gun! The Musical at Empire Stage on February 9, 2012.

Singing. Satire. Subtext. If you see only one musical comedy about mounting a mega-musical, make it Top Gun! The Musical. You’ll laugh. You’ll hum. You’ll believe a jet can fly! For anyone who’s ever cringed through Cats, scratched their heads at Legally Blonde the Musical, felt the need for speed or wondered, “who thought THAT would be a good idea?”, comes this new satirical musical.

Top Gun! The Musical was the most successful show in the history of the Toronto Fringe Festival, playing to sell out crowds and unanimously good reviews. The South Florida premiere production features a strong ensemble of local singers and actors as well as new musical arrangements.

Jack Gardner directed a cast that included James Lott, Lindsey Johr, Laurence London, Christopher Michaels, Kelly Kopf, Todd Storey, Christie Oliver, Gisbert Heuer, Tommy Paduano, and James Dryburgh.

John Thomason reviewed for the Broward/Palm Beach New Times:

It's about the making of a disastrous musical adaptation of the cornball 1986 film, crash-landing from the beginning thanks to backstage rivalries, an overambitious director, a vain cast, and an ex-Navy SEAL producer aiming to use the musical as a propaganda tool.

The problem is, in this case it's impossible to tell the sloppiness of the 'show' from the sloppiness of the show. We know the musical within the musical is supposed to suck, but it takes a talented group to suck artfully.

The cast's enthusiasm for the project is apparent, but most of the actors simply don't have the goods. The dialogue between Todd Storey, as the exacting director, and Christie Oliver, as his production assistant, is stilted and artificial. The banter needs to snap, crackle, pop, and overlap; instead, the actors' sentences trail off as they wait for their partners to interrupt them, always one beat behind where they should be.

It gets worse. Listening to some of the players sing, it's a wonder they would ever be cast in a musical. They don't have the vocal range to sustain the requirements of the songs, and even the choreography — the most rudimentary steps I've seen in any musical anywhere — is performed ineptly. I will show some tact and not single out any names here, though it's worth mentioning that FAU student Lindsey Johr, as a gender-bending Goose, is a compelling presence who sings and acts circles around her colleagues. Her operatic, banshee pipes are one of the production's few highlights.

A couple of caveats: First, two of the actors I saw in the opening weekend production will be replaced in the following weeks, which may lead to some improvement. Second, the producing company, a new-to-Florida group called Anagram Entertainment, aims to foster new talent by casting inexperienced nonprofessionals in some roles, taking its chances on the results. If Anagram ever wants to be taken seriously in this outstanding theater community, then Top Gun! The Musical is an obvious argument against this approach.

When the character of Charlie (Kelly Kopf) complains to the director, "This is weak, Billy — it's amateur hour," I think she speaks for all of us.

Mary Damiano reviewed for Florida Theater On Stage:

Even though Top Gun! The Musical gets off to a promising start, with Goose pushing Maverick around the tiny stage in a cockpit that appears to have been fashioned from a wheelbarrow, singing the catchy song “We’ve Got a Plane to Catch” an opening number designed to give exposition about Maverick’s dead daddy issues, Top Gun! The Musical quickly takes a nose dive. There is no plot to speak of; the cast simply recreates/parodies various scenes from Top Gun, while dealing with typical backstage dramedy.

...it would need a strong director and cohesively talented cast in order to make it work. Unfortunately, this production lacks both, and the promising material is a victim of sloppy execution.

Where to start? Perhaps with the lack of timing from the majority of the cast or the recitation that passes for delivery, or maybe that during the ensemble songs, each cast member seemed to be singing in a different key.

The exception to all of this is Michaels, who is a pleasure to watch. His performance injects his character with some personality and back-story, transcending the Iceman role to show the actor playing the character as a world-weary theatre gypsy who’s seen many big breaks fall through... Ironically, Michaels stepped in for an ailing actor, and only had six rehearsals before opening night.

As for the other actors — and that word is used very loosely — Storey recites his lines and never comes close to embodying the urgency of his character...

Oliver seems like a promising performer with a decent voice, but lacks stage confidence and can’t project. Many of her lines are inaudible in the back of the theatre, which in this case is the third row. Johr’s main attribute is her voice, and she loves to show it off to glass-shattering heights, a running joke in the play. Lott is as charisma-free as it gets, a non-descript actor who fades into the background, a baffling choice for cocky Maverick. Heuer gets one of the best songs in the show “Just Put the Asses in the Seats,” but he is a stiff performer and looks uncomfortable throughout his song and dance scene. Kopf is a triple threat: she can’t act, sing or dance.

Anagram Entertainment presents Top Gun! The Musical at Empire Stage through March 4, 2012.

The Scene for February 10, 2012

2012-02-09T05:29:00.001-05:00

Next to Normal closes this weekend; don't be left wondering what all the fuss is about at next year's Carbonell Awards. And if you've seen it already, then go check out Chad Deity. And in years to come, you don't want to miss out being able to brag about seeing the first ever show at Parade Productions.

Here's what's playing on professional stages around South Florida...

opening...

Anagram Entertainment opens its production of Top Gun! The Musical at Empire Stage.

Actors' Rep opens Loquacious & Bodacious: The Life and Times of Zora Neale Hurston, starring Karen Stephens.

August Wilson's The Piano Lesson opens at Andrews Living Arts Studio.

you still haven't missed...

New Theatre presents its production of Winter at the Roxy Performing Arts Center through February 19, 2012.

Last of the Red Hot Lovers plays at the Stage Door Theatre's Coral Springs location through March 4, 2012.

The Miami Acting Company presents The Odd Couple at The South Miami-Dade Cultural Center through February 19. We're not familiar with this company, but the show's director is Ken Kurtz, former chair of the Theatre Department at UM.

Laffing Matterz plays the Broward Center's Abdo New River Room, for its third season of dinner and comedy.

last chance to see...

Parade Production's inaugural production of Donald Margulie's Brooklyn Boy closes February 12, 2012.

The critically acclaimed Next to Normal ends its run at Actors' Playhouse this Sunday, February 12, 2012.

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity also finishes its run at the Caldwell Theatre Company on February 12, 2012. Another favorite with the critics!

coming and going...

Improvised Shakespeare plays briefly at the Broward Center this Friday and Saturday.

Boynton Beach Club A New Musical In Concert plays at the Park Vista Theatre in Lake Worth this weekend only.

The Playground Theatre presents LOVE STORIES: An Evening of Short Plays About Flirtation, Romance and Love, the first of its new Sandbox Series.

passing through...

Divorce Party: The Musical plays at the Kravis Center's Rinker Playhouse through February 19, 2012.

for kids...

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland returns to The Playground Theatre through March 11, 2012.

Actors' Playhouse offers Alexander, Who's Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move! through March 9, 2012.

Snow White: An Enchanting Musical plays at Showtime Dance and Performing Arts Theatre through March 10.

Stage Door Theatre: Last of the Red Hot Lovers (2 reviews)

2012-02-08T08:42:00.002-05:00

The Stage Door Theatre opened its production of Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers on January 27, 2012.

In one of Neil Simon’s funniest and most famous comedies, Barney Cashman wants to be join the sexual revolution, but can’t. He utterly and hilariously fails at seduction.

Michael Leeds directed a cast that features Ken Clement, Elissa D. Solomon, Shira Abergel, and Carol Sussman.

Michelle F. Solomon wrote for Florida Theater On Stage:

Broward Stage Door Theatre has a knack for Neil Simon. Just when you thought there wasn’t much new to be done with yet another of Simon’s old chestnuts, the Coral Springs theater company presents a fresh production that’s entertaining from beginning to end.

The always likeable Ken Clement plays Barney Cashman... If Stage Door’s Last of the Red Hot Lovers belongs to anyone, it’s Clement, who creates the world of Barney Cashman, letting the audience in with ease and care... Clement sets the pace from the start with some flawless stagecraft business of setting up the apartment for his first guest. Another of the many highlights of his performance is his revealing monologue in Act 1, perfectly and delicately handled to add just the right touch of drama so as not to break the comic throughline for what’s to follow. Clement shines in every act, leading and following in each scene with his women almost as if it is part of a beautifully choreographed dance.

While Solomon is a worthy opponent for Clement in the verbal volleying that Simon gives the two actors, the actress could deliver her best lines with more conviction. Many times the best throwaways weren’t audible, either lost in audience laughter from a previous joke, or caught up in the actress’s battle against her character’s New Yawk accent.

Abergel... is absolutely enthralling as the kooky Bobbi. Hats off (or shall we say wigs off as Abergel has enough of them in this show) to the talented actress for embodying the delusional Bobbi rather than allowing the character to overpower her, which can easily happen in this role. Abergel and Clement have comic chemistry together and they are truly red hot here. They are the reason to see this show.

The role of Jeannette is perhaps the most difficult in the play because it is easy to get lost in a one-note mood that could turn the last act into a sour-puss downer. Clement works hard to keep the energy up, and thankfully so. Carol Sussman as Jeannette may have more success in exploring a range of emotion within the character’s words that tirelessly beat the drum of depression.

Director Michael Leeds understands the importance of the playwright’s pacing in Lovers and has obviously worked this show to make the most of comic timing; it doesn’t miss a beat.

With a cast and a production that have no fear of diving head first into the show’s comedy, chaos and affairs of the heart, Stage Door’s Last of the Red Hot Lovers immerses its audience in sizzling, dizzying fun.

Christine Dolen reviewed for The Miami Herald:

Neil Simon’s The Last of the Red Hot Lovers is a vintage comedy... But as the Stage Door Theatre’s new production demonstrates, with the right actors, the play about a man in midlife-crisis mode still has plenty of satirical sting.

Credit director Michael Leeds and actors Ken Clement, Elissa D. Solomon, Shira Abergel and Carol Sussman with exploring a whole spectrum of emotional colors in what can otherwise be just one more Simon laughathon.

(The) second scene becomes the production’s comedic highlight, thanks to the odd-couple pairing of the ample, older, rich-voiced Clement and the agile, fast-talking, inventive Abergel. Leeds and the actors pack the scene with hilarious physical business and visual surprises. Seduction No. 2 also goes down in flames, but in a wildly entertaining way.

Last of the Red Hot Lovers plays at the Stage Door Theatre's Coral Springs location through March 4, 2012.

Fact checking SAVE THE COCONUT GROVE PLAYHOUSE.

2012-02-07T23:15:00.002-05:00

Since SAVE THE COCONUT GROVE has been deleting any comment made that in any contradicts their views and opinions, we decided to provide a place to discuss the issues surrounding The Coconut Grove Playhouse.

The 20 Million Dollar Question

One thing I asked STCGP about was their repeated claim that the $20 million grant being held in abeyance was specifically to restore the old building:

At the time, I questioned it because I remember that grant being set aside for capital improvements; they needed a new roof, much of the building was structurally unsound, and its technology was woefully out of date. I had friends working at the Grove when the grant was awarded, and I worked at The Miracle Theater in the Gables; I'm sure I would have noticed if the Grove was going to undergo a restoration.

I asked STCGP to supply me with a link to the grant, to verify that the monies were intended for restoring he theatre as opposed to repairing, maintaining or improving it. After all, they are the ones making a claim about it. Unfortunately, because they de-friended me, my comments are gone. You can't see anything that I say, there's only one side of the conversation left; theirs.

But their side is damning enough.

Here's their reply from that date, directed at me by name:

What's the big deal about this? You'll see, soon enough. But for now, remember that on January 23, STCGP responded to someone asking about the bond/grant document

In this most recent go-round, STCGP made the claim again:

Mr. Dew doesn't mention it, but he is also a former Grove staffer, and a personal friend. He was Master Carpenter at their scene shop, and spent a lot of time installing scenery in the Grove. Perhaps he will weigh in on his experiences at The Grove.

But here's that claim that the $20 million was earmarked for restoration. So once again, I asked STCGP to supply a citation, reminding them that they didn't answer me last time: can they supply proof that the funds were allocated specifically for restoration, and not for some other capital project?

BTW, the link they supplied does not lead to any documentation that supports the assertion that $20 million was set aside for restoration.

The First Lie

I pointed out that I did in fact ask for a link showing that the $20 million was intended specifically for restoration, and not other capital improvements. I specified that it was back in January. The reply:

So if they never got a request for it in January, how is it that they responded to a request, mentioning the details, and using my name while they did so? STCGP has just been caught lying. And it's a stupid lie, because you only need to scroll down a little to find the original question and answer.

Sidebar

Since denial wasn't working, they took a new approach:

So now I'm being painted as an associate of Marc Sarnoff. A Sarnoff crony, no less; perhaps I'm an evil developer. A lap-dog, heeled at his side as he lays out his swindle before the public.

We're such close pals that over the years I've been moved to write love letters to him:

... we could lose the Coconut Grove Playhouse. Miami Today News reports that Miami City Commissioner is working against theatre in Coconut Grove by getting into bed with Sony. Mr. Sarnoff apparently knows less about concert promotion than theatre, otherwise he would note that an existing facility concentrating on music - LiveNation's Fillmore at the Gleason Center - is far from successful.

Mark Sarnoff is now the single greatest threat to the Coconut Grove Playhouse as a proper theater.
- December 13, 2010

The bottom line is this: Mark Sarnoff can't save the Playhouse. He doesn't know how to do that. Every time he opens his yap, he makes it apparent. What's his "solution?" Take it away from the current owners. And then what will he do? Appoint a new board. And who will be on this board? No one who knows anything about saving a theatre company.
- July 17, 2010

It pains me to say this, but it appears that Marc Sarnoff is even more ignorant than the current gang of incompetents that make up the current Playhouse Board.
- May 29, 2010

So to answer STCGP's question - again - no, I was not in attendance at Mr. Sarnoff's presentation at The Sailing Club last summer. I say "again," because my answer was the last comment I made on STCGP before they un-friended me.

I suspect they un-friended me because of this tag:

My "stake" is that I am a theatre professional of 25 years who wants to see professional theatre being staged in the Coconut Grove Playhouse. I'm also a believe in Democracy, open discussion, and honesty. Which means that if you make a claim, you should be able to back it up.

I also pointed out that the article they linked to said absolutely nothing to back up their claims about the $20 million being allocated specifically to restore the building.

So what was the $20 million really put aside for?

Since STCGP doesn't actually know, we thought it would behoove us to find out what, in fact, that pile of moolah was intended to accomplish: RESTORE, that is put the theater back into its previous best condition, or RENOVATE; to improve and update the facility?

http://holocausttheaterarchive.org/mittelman.html
" Mr. Mittelman led a team that received $20 million in government funding and $5 million in private sector support for emergency Playhouse renovations."

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/060727/story1.shtml
The county is withholding $20 million from countywide capital improvement bonding intended for physical improvements to the playhouse until it shows signs of economic vitality. The theater's historic status limits exterior renovation options.

http://www.watchdogreport.net/2011/08/29/watchdog-report-vol-12-no-17-august-28-2011-est-05-05-00-i-go-when-you-cannot/
...there is $20 million in county funding for the rehabilitation of the structure...

http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/468405/grove_playhouse_closed_future_in_question/
The playhouse has an annual budget of $5.9 million, but is poised to receive $20 million in the coming years from the county — $15 million from the multibillion-dollar capital improvement bond approved by voters in 2004 — for a major building renovation.

Well, that's just how the media portrayed it. Maybe they got it wrong.

And they did. But not in a manner that bolsters STCGP's position.

Here's the original description from the 2004 Building Better Communities Bond Program, Project No. 299 - "Improvements to the Coconut Grove Playhouse."

Yes, the word "restore" is in the description. But the word is followed by "its structural integrity."

Here's how it's described on The Miami Dade County website:

Coconut Grove Playhouse
GOB Allocation: $15 million

GOB funds will help in the transformation of one of Miami’s oldest theatrical venues into a 21st century performance space. Built as a glamorous movie theater in 1926, the theater was shuttered on and off for decades until it underwent a $1 million renovation in 1956 converting it from movie house to a home for live theater, and reopening with the U.S. premier of Waiting for Godot. Considered to be an economic engine for other Coconut Grove businesses, the Playhouse has been home to numerous world-class stars, playwrights, and directors, and has seen many productions go on to Broadway and London’s West End. Reconstruction of the theater is necessary to address the structural deterioration of the building.

Wait, FIFTEEN million? There's only fifteen? The media's been throwing around TWENTY million!

The County Commission added to the kitty on June 3, 2010. According to County Commission records, they re-affirm the original $15 million for Project No. 299 as described above, and they kicked in another $5 million "to address the capital needs" of The Playhouse, and "to fund the development of a recovery plan," "to accomplish the goals of the plan for the reconstruction management and operation of The Playhouse."

No matter how you slice it, at no time was the public given to believe that funds had been allocated for the purpose of restoring the Coconut Grove Playhouse to a prior condition. This was never the purpose of either of the two grants comprising the $20 million under discussion.

Conclusion

Save the Coconut Grove Playhouse has been lying, repeatedly, and behaving abominably when that has been pointed out to them. Democracy requires that all sides of an issue be presented, and STCGP has been deleting and un-friending everyone who offers an opposing or even modifying view. If you're going to make statements that are not factually correct, you must expect to receive corrections. And the grown-up way to deal with that is either accept that you made an error, and make the appropriate correction, or explain clearly why you haven't made an error, and offer evidence to support your claims. And if you're going to offer opinions that are not supported by experience, you should gracefully acknowledge that there might be other points of view on the issue.

While it's laudable to preserve a piece of history, it's never laudable to lie to achieve a goal. Whatever their intentions, Save The Coconut Grove Playhouse has undermined the worthiness of its own cause by repeated lying to bolster their position.

The people of Miami - and Coconut Grove - deserve better.

Next; are they saving a theatre, or saving a theater?

What is SAVE THE COCONUT GROVE PLAYHOUSE hiding?

2012-02-07T20:47:00.001-05:00

It started when Steve Shapiro asked me to post something for him. You see, Steve was a long-time staffer at The Grove, and is intimately familiar with the problems that faced it. So he's got a solid insider's view on the issue of saving the Playhouse.

And so he posted his view on the matter on the Facebook page of Save The Coconut Grove Playhouse.

Shortly after he posted his comments, they were deleted. So we took a look, couldn't find them, and posted a couple of questions about claims being made on the matter. Not only were our comments deleted, the page de-friended us.

Here's what Steve said about his own experience with STCGP:

Whoever is monitoring that space deleted the comment in about 5 seconds. He is NOT interested in a real discussion on this matter.

I was wondering if you would be interested in offering a discussion of it on your blog. While I sympathize with their desire to preserve a "piece of history", even when we were open, I believed that to keep the Playhouse going the theater would need to be renovated. While I think these people's hearts are in the right place, it's that heart that will forever prevent the Playhouse from being a viable theater again.

What Steve is saying - and The Scene has mentioned before - that the original structure, restored to its previous best condition, isn't up to fullfilling the mission of a professional theater in the 21st century, and may even hinder the daily operation of a professional theater company.

So we're going to delve into the matter right here. We're going to examine claims being made, and we're going to find the facts of the matter.

Here's the comments that Steve made that Save the Coconut Grove Playhouse didn't want you to read:

"I was the sound man at The Playhouse for 16 years, right up to the day they closed. Let me offer a differing opinion. The physical plant at the Playhouse NEEDS to be renovated and upgraded. Let's not even get into the decay that has inevitably occurred since its closing.
The lack of wing space and low fly ceiling made the theater insufficient to sustain the kind of show that made it famous in its heyday.
The lack of an orchestra pit was a great detriment to the presentation of a musical.
The size of the house chamber (1100 seats) was too small to accommodate a big musical, but too large for a drama . Our program of delivering pre- Broadway theater was diminishing owing to limitations of the stage house, and intimate drama was very difficult owing to the size of the house.
While I admire your effort to preserve a local treasure, I assure you that the building as it stands is the major obstacle to making it a viable theater. It MUST be renovated if it is to be resurrected. Just my opinion, but one that comes from working in that space everyday for its last 16 years."

If Steve's name seems vaguely familiar, it's because during those 16 years and for a few years after, he has been one of the most highly acclaimed sound designers in South Florida. He has a shelf-full of awards he's earned in that time.

But Save the Coconut Grove doesn't think his opinion is worth hearing.

The Scene, on the other hand, looks forward to a debate on the matter. All we ask is that if you make any claim, you provide a link to a source that verifies or at least validates that claim. We will remove libelous comments, but only those. We don't even mind if you swear.

So the topic of THIS post is, "Was STCGP playing fair when it deleted this comment? Should a grassroots movement trying to instill people to exercise democracy exempt itself from democratic principles such as airing dissenting opinions?"

Mondays are Dark

2012-02-06T06:09:00.004-05:00

We're going to start this week's reading list with a couple of stories about theaters going through some tough times; nobody's closing, but it's a rocky time.

Not Open, But Not Gone
Florida Theater On Stage broke the story that The Women's Theater Project has had to postpone the rest of its season, due to losing its venue:

Lasher said finding a new venue was the immediate challenge. At least one venue offered to help, but could not be certain two months in advance of a particular show whether the space would be available. That makes it difficult to hire actors, do publicity or even guarantee subscribers a season.

But TWTP President Meredith Lasher added Thursday, “We’re not going out of business, we’re not folding…. We have thousands of dollars in the bank.”

The company is still planning to mount Girl Play 2012, its annual lesbian-themed playwriting festival.

Still Open, And Not Gone Either
Florida Theater On Stage also broke the news that the Caldwell Theater Company is considering filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. But be assured, the 37 year old company plans to continue producing plays:

In 2012, the board remains optimistic that the Caldwell can survive, even prevail, Cholerton said. “We feel very confident. After all, GM emerged from bankruptcy, a leaner, meaner company. South Florida needs this cultural institution.”

Chapter 11 means that the company remains in operation, protected from its creditors seizing their assets while they try to re-organize. Florida Stage, which closed its doors last year, took a different route: Chapter 7, which means that all its assets are sold off to settle its debts.

Speaking of Florida Stage...
Louis Tyrell, the former producing director of the late company (which is gone), is back with a new venture, according to The Shiny Sheet. His new project is The Theater at Arts Garage and it launches Tuesday with a reading series. A lot of the playwright's names will be familiar, and expect to see some familiar names doing the reading.

It's Like Mad Libs.
Remember Mad Libs? The game where you'd insert random nouns, verbs and adjectives into a pre-written story and hope that the result was hilarious? Well, the last couple of years folks have been inserting various nouns in front of the words "The Musical," and praying for success.
The Sun-Sentinel tells us about the latest entry in this genre, Top Gun! The Musical! It's being produced by Anagram Entertainment at Empire Stage.

When Art Meets Medicine
The Miami Herald tells us about the talk-back sessions for Next To Normal at Actors' Playhouse, which features medical professionals answering questions and addressing issues raised by the play.

Hialeah-bred Rioseco plays the son of a couple in the Pulitzer-winning musical of a woman’s struggle with bipolar disorder and the familial toll that fight takes. He has joined his cast mates and medical staff from the psychiatry department at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine for pre- and post-performance talk backs.

Not Your Grandfather's Bard
The Examiner reports that the Improvised Shakespeare Company is coming to The Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

Using audience suggestion, the Improvised Shakespeare Co. creates a fully improvised play in Elizabethan style which might be filled with power struggles, star-crossed lovers, sprites, kings, queens, princesses, sword-play, rhyming couplets, asides, insults, persons in disguise and all that we've come to expect from the pen of the great Bard.

The company is also holding a workshop at Broward Center.

Free Tix and This and That and Stuff
They're offereing free tickets to LION KING that the Arsht Center on Saturday that's the lede of the article, but The Miami Herald also reports that The Playground Theater is presenting the first of its Sandbox Series on February 12. And other stories are crammed into the article.

An Audience Request
Parabasis brings us a simple request from an audience member.

If We Could See Her Now...
Broadway World reports that Margot Moreland will be starring in the Boca Raton Theatre Guild production of Sweet Charity.

“It is surprising to me that Sweet Charity doesn't receive more recognition, after all it's a dream role for a lot of women,” Garsson says. “In this case it's a dream cast with one of South Florida's finest musical comediennes, Margot Moreland, as Charity. Margot has always wanted to play this role. What can I say? The timing was perfect and early rehearsals proved she owned this part immediately.”

Mmm. We remember a production at the Burt Reynolds Institute for Theatre Training back in the early nineties... but that's all that comes to mind. Entirely coincidentally, Moreland is an alumnus of B.R.I.T.T.

New Theatre: Winter (4 reviews)

2012-02-06T00:14:00.002-05:00

New Theatre opened its world premiere production of Robert Caisley's Winter on February 3, 2012.

In this witty new play, what begins as a scheduling headache arranging their mother's funeral evolves into an all-out blood feud between fraternal twins Peter and Christina Winter and their mother's mysterious, young live-in assistant.

Ricky J. Martinez directed a cast that included Scott Douglass Wilson, Annemaria Rajala, Nicole Quintana, and Barbara Sloan.

Chris Joseph reviewed for The Miami New Times:

Winter is a quality production for New Theatre, thanks mainly to Caisley's darkly humorous script and a solid cast. Wilson gives a lucid and robust performance as Peter. His comedic timing is brilliant, deftly displaying a man immersed in intellectual bluster who's further handicapped by his high-maintenance fiancée, his demanding mother-in-law, and his sister's heavy-handed personality. Rajala holds her own as a cold and calculating Christina, while Quintana gives a moving and restrained turn as Sophie. New Theatre veteran Barbara Sloan's portrayal of the spirit of Mother Winter is both vulnerable and droll. It's a bit part, but Sloan's understated performance is vital.

...director Ricky J. Martinez's use of soft lighting and proper blocking keep things centered and focused.

At roughly 90 minutes without intermission, the play at times drags (there is a sort of unspoken sexual tension between two of the characters that seems unnecessary to the plot). But overall, New Theatre has struck a positive chord.

Roger Martin reviewed for Miami Artzine:

Perhaps being buffeted about the head and shoulders by a terminal velocity flow of words slows down time. It's the only reason I have for a ninety minute show seemingly dawdling around for another hour... along the way we're treated to Caisley's pretty smart writing, a witticism or two, a smack with a dead fish more often as not, as brother and sister revile each other endlessly and repetitiously, leading the way down a well marked path.

Annemaria Rajala is well cast as the virulent sister as is Scott Douglas Wilson as the six and a half minute younger brother. Good actors both, saddled with mutual antagonism that never ends.

Set designer Nicole Quintana plays mother's companion, refereeing as best she can the squabbling siblings, calmly playing the hostess now that mother is dead, quietly knowing the upshot of the evening. She uses an interestingly exotic accent, sometimes British, sometimes not, always mystifying.

Barbara Sloan, as usual, is impressive, despite having to lean off the front of the stage, peer at the audience through bird watching binoculars and warble something like: “Oh look, there's a rosy breasted, clubfooted cardinal”.

Christine Dolen reviewed for The Miami Herald:

Director Ricky J. Martinez gets nice performances from his able cast: Sloan as a dreamy ghost whose life’s passions were bird-watching and one other person, Quintana (who also designed the simple, attractive set with its verdant garden background) as the inscrutable Sophie, Rajala as the relentlessly tough Christina, Wilson as the already-henpecked and puffed-up Peter.

Some of Caisley’s writing is smart and funny, some (such as the running gag about Christina always getting the hometown of Peter’s Canadian finance wrong) labored or implausible. It doesn’t help that sound is an issue, so that at times even the most attentive listener with perfect hearing will miss some of the dialogue. But given that Winter is following the inevitable downfall of such a neglectful, entitled pair, maybe that isn’t so bad after all.

Bill Hirschman reviewed for Florida Theater On Stage:

Robert Caisley’s script could use some pruning and actors Scott Douglas Wilson and Annemaria Rajala could use a bit more stage time to get comfortable with the punishing cascade of dialogue. But neither flaw cripples the three from creating an ultimately harrowing evening of drama under the direction of Ricky J. Martinez as we watch the already fractured family melt down completely.

Caisley is an experienced playwright whose Kissing played at New Theatre in 2009. Like the scripts in most first full productions, his Winter needs some judicious editing before a subsequent production... His rhythms and verbiage are impressive, but sometimes they overwhelm the talented cast members who could use few more performances to become accustomed to Caisley’s verbal corkscrews.

This shortfall is evident because Martinez allows the two leads to barrel through the dialogue as if the meaning of their lines doesn’t deserve a bit of timing and topspin on a reading.

But all the elements brought together by Martinez and company fuse together in the final minutes as the last devastating secret is revealed, leaving behind an emotional wasteland.

...this is some of Martinez’s best work, especially the physical staging...

Sloan, as always, has a lifeforce that shines like an aura. Quintana is adequate if lacking the charisma that would explain part of the plot.

The play belongs to Wilson and Rajala who both invest their slightly cartoonish characters with a sense of credibility. These are cold, cold creatures who the actors somehow make us feel a smidgen of compassion for.

New Theatre presents its production of Winter at the Roxy Performing Arts Center through February 19, 2012.

The Scene for February 3, 2012

2012-02-02T08:31:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe that it's already February; the good news is that means that the Theatre Season is in full swing.

But alas, there's some not-so-good news;

Anagram Entertainment has had to delay its opening of Top Gun: The Musical due to an illness in the cast. We know you're heartbroken, but you'll be able to see it starting Thursday February 9th at Empire Stage. And then you'll believe a jet can fly.
Sadly, we might have to wait a bit longer for the next show at The Women's Theatre Project, which recently lost its venue. It hasn't been able to find a suitable alternative, so it's postponed the rest of its season until it finds a space. But we have no doubt that they'll be back on the scene before too long.

In the meantime; here are shows that are playing around South Florida...

opening...

The New Theatre presents yet world premiere play, Winter, by Robert Caisley.

The Miami Acting Company presents The Odd Couple at The South Miami-Dade Cultural Center through February 19. We're not familiar with this company, but the show's director is Ken Kurtz, former chair of the Theatre Department at UM.

you still haven't missed...

Parade Production's inaugural production of Donald Margulie's Brooklyn Boy will play through February 12, 2012.

The Stage Door presents Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers at its Coral Springs location through March 4. We have also learned that they cast Ken "Cast Ken!" Clement.

The critics are raving about Next to Normal at Actors' Playhouse. It plays through February 12, 2012.

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity plays at the Caldwell Theatre Company through February 12, 2012. Another favorite with the critics!

Laffing Matterz plays the Broward Center's Abdo New River Room, for its third season of dinner and comedy.

last chance to see...

The GableStage's critically acclaimed production of The Motherfucker with the Hat ends its run on Sunday February 5, 2012. You might meet playwright Stephen Adly Guirguis if you do, according to The Drama Queen.

Snoopy! The Musical winds up its run at Area Stage on February 5, 2012.

Second City in Laugh Out Loud plays February 2 only at the Aventura Arts and Cultural Center.

coming and going...

Shakespeare Miami offers up its yearly outdoor offering; A Midsummer Night's Dream. It plays this weekend at The Young Circle Amphitheater in Hollywood.

Miss Abigial's Guide to Dating Mating and Marriage plays three performances only at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on February 3rd and 4th.

passing through...

Divorce Party: The Musical plays at the Kravis Center's Rinker Playhouse through February 19, 2012.

for kids...

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland returns to The Playground Theatre through March 11, 2012.

Actors' Playhouse offers Alexander, Who's Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move! through March 9, 2012.

Sol Children's Theatre Troupe presents Narnia the Musical through February 5.

Snow White: An Enchanting Musical plays at Showtime Dance and Performing Arts Theatre through March 10.

Mondays are Dark

2012-01-30T05:14:00.003-05:00

We hope you had a great weekend; we managed to catch the show at Gablestage, and all we can say is that it was fucking awesome. (That's just for you, Joe.)

Actually, We Can Say This, Too
Terry Teachout, the Broadway theatre critic for The Wall Street Journal, liked GableStage's production of The Motherfucker with the Hat more than he liked Cynthia Nixon in the Manhattan Theatre Club's production of Wit. He blogged about the actual trip to Florida on About Last Night.

We were still low enough that I had no trouble picking out the six-story apartment house where I live, a few blocks south of the Cloisters. I held my breath as the familiar landmarks slipped past me, all shrunken to the size of my thumb: Yankee Stadium, Lincoln Center, Central Park, the Empire State Building, the great gash of Ground Zero.

Who is Miss Abigail, Anyway?
Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage, opens this week at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts for a brief two performances. This national tour opened in Rochester NY, and makes its first stop in Fort Lauderdale. Entertainment Weekly reviewed the off-Broadway production;

...all of Miss Abigail's advice skews a little old school, but that's entirely the point — and also why the script, from the clever minds of Ken Davenport (Altar Boyz) and Sarah Saltzberg (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), works so well. Press materials describe Plumb's Miss Abigail as ''Dr. Ruth meets Emily Post,'' and it's a spot-on designation.

Unfortunately, the tour doesn't feature Eve Plumb, (who played the hottest of Brady sisters, in our opinion).

Speaking of Ken Davenport
The Broadway Producer who authors The Producer's Perspective tells us how a jaunt to a Connecticut casino led him to this;

We created BroadwayRoadTrip.com, and on Saturday, February 4th, a bus full of people will depart Sturbridge, MA, come to see the Godspell matinee, get a talkback from me, and then return home that night.

My hope and my dream is that they enjoy their day with us so much, that when we ask them if they want to come see another show in a month or two... they’ll fill up another bus again, and bingo, bongo, we’ve got brand new multi-musical buyers.

Arranging bus tours to see shows is nothing new, at least not in Florida; but creating a destination portal to book them is.

Miami Made
The Miami Herald reports on The Miami-Made Festival 2012, coming in March.

Separated this year from Miami Light Project’s annual Here & Now Festival (which runs Feb. 2-11 at The Light Box at Goldman Warehouse), the stand-alone Miami Made is again free.

News Round Ups.
These are articles with too many separate stories to list, but Florida Theater On Stage has one out, and so does The Drama Queen.

Happy Birthday
The Examiner reports that New Theatre is hosting a birthday party for its managing director Eileen Suarez and artistic direct Ricky J. Martinez on February 8. We hope it's not a surprise party or not.

Getting it Together
Collaboration is key in producing theatre; Florida Theater On Stage talks with the team behind The Promethean Theatre Company, co-founders Margaret Ledford and Deborah Sherman, about their partnership with Nova Southeast University.

“One of the benefits in synergy with Nova is our proximity to… the young emerging artists and that opens our eyes to more possibilities,” Ledford said. “It also makes us look at our craft harder, and put into words what excited and still excites us and share that with them. (It’s) a fluid exchange of electricity, energy and excitement that can be both initiation and rejuvenation.”

Anyone who has seen a Promethean show can attest to the successful results.

Forward To Your Representatives
Education.com tells us Why Children's Theater Matters, and it's worth forwarding to your state and federal representatives - particularly, if you'll pardon the phrase, if they're Republicans.

...study after study has shown that the arts are more than fluff. Longitudinal data of 25,000 students involved in the arts, conducted at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education by Dr. James Catterall, shows that consistent participation greatly improves academic performance and significantly bumps up standardized test scores. Students who make time for the arts are also more involved in community service, and less likely to drop out of school. And we’re not just talking about upper middle class kids. These facts remain, regardless of a child’s socio-economic background.

Speaking of Children's Theatre
BroadwayWorld.com tells us about Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, opening this week at The Playground Theatre.

In this adaptation, directed by Stephanie Ansin and designed by Fernando Calzadilla, time, space and cultures collide as Alice tackles the challenges of her ever-changing dream world, with video projections enhancing every step of the way. Contemporary costumes, sounds, and objects infuse this classic tale with modern metropolitan Miami life.

You've Already Missed This....
... but The Sun-Sentinel, which can't be bothered to review a milestone production of Next To Normal at Actors' Playhouse, did manage to talk to the creative team of A Woman's World, presented by Infinite Abyss Productions at Empire Stage. It's a local production, performed with local talent; this is as South Florida as you can get. It closed yesterday.

You can still catch Next to Normal, the Pulitzer-Prize winning play that the Sun-Sentinel can't be bothered to review, at Actors' Playhouse through February 12.

BTW, we're delighted that A Woman's World received this attention; we'd like to see more stories like this in The Sun-Sentinel. But we expect them to print their own fucking reviews instead of barfing up ones we've already read in the original source. You want more subscribers? Write your own damned reviews.

Pardon our French.

Speaking of South Florida Talent
BroadwayWorld reports that Raul Esparza is coming to The Arsht Center for an encore of his Lincoln Center concert.

They Need A Theatre League of Their Own
The Guardian asks Why Don't Theatres Talk To Each Other?

Last week I popped into the Southbank Centre, looking for a London International Mime festival, assuming I'd easily find one because the venue hosts a number of shows. But I couldn't find one in any of the many displays I found of the venue's own branded publicity and leaflets .

Thanks to the efforts of The Theatre League of South Florida, many companies do have leaflets for shows in other venues on display in their lobbies. The League's website, South Florida Theatre.com, also has a searchable listings page to help patrons find what's playing. But it's woefully underused at the moment. The easiest way to be listed on The Scene is to be listed on the League's website.

But we can do more; I know that Mosaic posts recommendations for shows at other theaters while they're dark. Perhaps theaters in close proximity could develop a discounted ticket to encourage patrons to attend plays at both venues; imagine getting a discount to see a matinee at Actors' Playhouse and an evening show the same day at Gablestage - or vice versa. Wouldn't it be great to make a day of it?

Speaking of Matched Productions
BroadwayWorld.com notes that both Palm Beach DramaWorks and The Broward Center for the Performing Arts are about to open plays by Lee Hall. The Pitmen Painters opens at Dramaworks on February 17th, while the National Tour of Billy Elliott The Musical opens at the Broward Center on February 29. Sounds like an excuse to see both shows to me. Like you need one.

Make It A Night
2AMTheatre suggests that we facilitate post-show discussion of the night's performance.

An audience of 40 or so watched the movie. Afterwards, most of this group walked from the movie theater to the town’s art gallery, next door, where there was some wine, snacks, and a circle of metal folding chairs. After 10 minutes or so of mingling, we each took a seat in the circle. The two hosts of the evening, the same ones who booked the quality films on Monday nights in this small town, set the simple rules of conversation: we would go around the circle and each speak briefly about our impression of the movie, whether or not we liked it, what we thought. Then we went around the circle a second time, with any concluding thoughts.

Here was a space for setting all of that aside, not just communally in a darkened theater but in a conversation. The movie itself had only done part of that work. The art was only part of the experience. If the lights had come up in the movie theater and, as usually happened, we had all filed into the street with those we had arrived with, the greater connection would not have happened, and the town and the lives of those who live there would be worse for it.

Sounds like something worth considering.

Composer Needs Singers

2012-01-29T14:05:00.001-05:00

Composer and musical theater playwright Mark Hagan is looking for musical theater performers to perform demos of his work that will lead to national exposure, and hopefully, productions of the work.

He wrote to The Scene:

...I am a composer/musical theatre playwright living in Wellington. I have a few exciting projects that have been in development for several years, but i haven't been able to connect with any musical theatre performers in the area.

If you could post my contact information in your blog or If you know of any performers who might be interested in getting involved, I would be most grateful.

His projects include Ripper, "an original musical based on the Jack the Ripper mystery. The show's website includes a sample of the music, as well as his bio and contact information.

www.RipperMusical.com
www.NAJMrecords.com

Contact MCHM@MCHMmusicals.com if you are interested.

Parade Productions: Brooklyn Boy (3 reviews)

2012-01-29T13:48:00.003-05:00

Parade Productions launched itself into the South Florida theatre scene with Donald Margulie's Brooklyn Boy, which opened at The Studio at Mizner Park on January 26, 2012.

Brooklyn Boy has been called one of Donald Margulies’ funniest and most moving plays. With sparkling dialogue, humor, and just the right amount of poignancy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright examines the consequences of success and reminds us that nobody’s journey through life can be made without some bad decisions, wrong directions, or regrets.

Kim St. Leon directed a cast that included Avi Hoffman, Blaze Powers, Jacqueline Laggy, Michael Gioia, Sy Fish, Ryan Didato, and Candace Caplin.

John Thomason reviewed for the Broward/Palm Beach New Times:

Parade Productions, South Florida's newest theater company, premiered its first show in Mizner Park last weekend, but signs indicated that even members of the team weren't entirely happy with the result. During the intermission of Brooklyn Boy, a 2004 dramedy from Donald Margulies, an usher made a point to tell me, out of the blue and in a reassuring tone, that "the second act is more upbeat.

The truth is, both acts are of a piece with each other; they share humor and pathos in equal measures, and they're both decent presentations of a decent play. Brooklyn Boy is, after all, lightweight Margulies, lacking both the penetrating insights on marital life of his Dinner With Friends and the complex moral meditations of his Collected Stories (though it contains faint echoes of both).

As always, Margulies proves expert at cutting through bullshit. Each scene is an examination of the false fronts we put on to appease the people around us, knowing that repressed truths will eventually surface, one way or another... Still, the play's weaknesses are legion. Margulies' allusions to You Can't Go Home Again are all too obvious and clichéd, and even the most flawless production values couldn't save a pitifully sappy metaphysical denouement.

But even when the material was stronger, I wanted more from a production that appears bereft of imagination. Hoffman, onstage every minute, seems to go through the motions, discovering his character's emotional core only in the last two scenes.

It feels labored in part because of the lackluster direction of Kim St. Leon, who too often positions her characters staring blankly through fourth-wall windows, rendering their dialogue all the more theatrical. And with actors tripping over their lines so many times, opening night had the air of a preview performance.

The scene-stealing Gioia, as Eric's onetime friend Ira, does the best job transcending the production's bumps and bruises. His every gesture, stutter, and pained facial expressional resounds with miraculous realism. Praise should also be reserved for Laggy, convincingly portraying a small role that requires opposing emotional currents, and for Powers, an FAU theater student who brings charm, depth, and naturalism to her scene with the seasoned Hoffman.

Bill Hirschman reviewed for Florida Theater On Stage:

Hoffman’s performance is one of the virtues in the promising but flawed inaugural offering from Parade Productions, a professional company performing in Mizner Park under the aegis of Artistic Director Kim St. Leon and Executive Producer Candace Caplin. There’s a lot of talent here working very hard, but not a lot of electricity emanating from the elegiac, mildly funny, mildly moving tale.

Bravo to Hoffman for exploring serious roles such as the disillusioned Boomer in GableStage’s Superior Donuts last season. His natural geniality wins over an audience and he makes us see Eric’s shortcomings are outer manifestations of inner angst. Admirably, Hoffman avoids the comedy techniques that he does as well as anyone; the closest he gets are some mild slow burns and looks askance that are perfectly justified.

St. Leon elicits mostly solid performances, notable since all of the parts are far more difficult that they appear. Sy Fish has the hardest role. He makes the father’s injurious comments so thoughtlessly organic that we may resent him, but we understand that he is simply clueless to the pain he is causing.

One sign of how the show sometimes sags is the contrast when Blaze Powers (forgive the pun) jolts the energy level back up with her vivid portrait of the blunt-speaking young woman who happily accompanies Eric back to his room after a book reading. While Margulies makes her the stand-in for everything wrong with the shallow youth culture (“Fiction is so over,” she says), Powers makes the most of when the script gives her three dimensions to play.

Ryan Didato nails a cartoonish character so different than his assistant Ken in Red last fall at GableStage. Margulies, St. John and Didato deliver one surprise as Tyler reveals he actually has acting chops.

The weakest performance comes from Caplin as a stereotypical.. caricature of a driving Hollywood producer... Caplin lacks the essential whipsnap speed and bite... The tempo and energy of the play sags badly at this crucial moment in the second act.

The whole production has a professional feel under St. Leon’s leadership. This extends from David Sabel’s sound design to Sean McClelland’s scenic design set against the iconic vision of the brick stanchions and metal cables of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Christine Dolen reviewed for The Miami Herald:

Though the company is new, the talent involved in this inaugural production mostly consists of seasoned South Florida theater professionals.

Kim St. Leon, the company’s artistic director (Caplin is its executive director), is a smart veteran director. And set designer Sean McClelland has done a deft job of creating the play’s multiple locations against the symbolic backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Brooklyn Boy has some funny moments, but Hoffman – a double Carbonell Award nominee for his 2011 performances in Superior Donuts at GableStage and Hairspray at Actors’ Playhouse – isn’t playing a comic role here. That fact seemed to throw some of his more chatty fans on opening night, but Hoffman is a solid serious actor whose proven musical and comedic abilities aren’t his only tools.

Brooklyn Boy, which could benefit from some judicious trimming, isn’t the greatest play from a man whose work also includes Sight Unseen, Collected Stories and Time Stands Still )a play that will be produced at GableStage in May). But it certainly contains resonant, sobering truths, and is a promising debut for Parade Productions.

Parade Production's Brooklyn Boy will play through February 12, 2012.

Kravis Center: Divorce Party The Musical (reviews)

2012-01-27T00:12:00.000-05:00

Divorce Party the Musical opened at The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts on January 27, 2012.

Still reeling from her divorce, Linda is rescued by her three friends who have come to turn her despair into a weekend of hilarity. Using popular songs with clever new lyrics, the ladies sing and dance their way through the wildest divorce party ever. From the Producer who brought you the off-Broadway hit Menopause the Musical, it’s the ultimate Girls’ Night Out, coupled with a healthy dose of comic mayhem and a touch of “naughty.”

Jay Falzone directed a cast that included Janna Cardia, Janet Dickenson, Felicia Finley, Soara-Joye Ross, Stacey Todd Holt, Scott Ahearn, Andrea Conte, and Samara Dunn.

Jan Sjostrom reviewed for the Palm Beach Daily News:

Granted, Divorce Party: The Musical is being performed for the first time at the Kravis Center’s Rinker Playhouse. There are bound to be wrinkles that need to be ironed out.

The first thing this show needs is a significant trim. It’s as though creators Mark Schwartz, Amy Botwinick and Jay Falzone, who’s also the show’s lyricist, director and choreographer, couldn’t figure out what to cut, so they left everything in.

The trouble is that there’s really not enough wit in this show to keep it from being kitschy and simple-minded. There are times when it’s downright crass — as when the male character appears dressed as a vibrator. To top it off, the show wanders off into discordant cheerleading about the value of sisterhood and self-worth. The performers, who are competent singers, dancers and actors, deserve better.

There are some bright moments. Oddly, both deal with ex-husbands, rather than the sisterhood. In one, Carolyn (Felicia Finley) imagines her ex-husband pouring out his heart to a pal to the tune Feelings. Ahearn plays that with just right touch of irony.

Hap Erstein reviewed for Palm Beach ArtsPaper;

Divorce Party The Musical seems cynically devised to attract the Menopause audience and cash in on that earlier show’s success. It too relies on parody lyrics to existing pop songs to celebrate female empowerment.

As with Menopause The Musical, director/lyricist Jay Falzone opts for fairly predictable rhymes and rarely develops anything past the single joke of the initial verse. In truth, none of the audience members I observed seemed to mind the uninspired writing.

Perhaps the most annoying thing about Divorce Party is that the audience appeared to be adequately entertained by it, so there is reason to believe it could become as successful as Menopause.

Divorce Party the Musical plays at The Kravis Center's Rinker Playhouse through February 19, 2012.

The Scene for January 27, 2012

2012-01-26T06:00:00.003-05:00

A lot of great shows closing this week; if you've been putting off seeing them...see them now! It'll be a while before you see The Effects of Gamma Rays or Urinetown again; and while someone might do Cabaret in the next year or two, it won't be anywhere near what they've done with this one.

But there are also some exciting things opening, and a lot of great plays to see.

opening...

Parade Productions launches itself into the theatre scene with Brooklyn Boy, its first production at The Studio at Mizner Park.

The Stage Door opens Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers at its Coral Springs location.

you still haven't missed...

The critics are raving about Next to Normal at Actors' Playhouse. It plays through February 12, 2012.

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity plays at the Caldwell Theatre Company through February 12, 2012. Another favorite with the critics!

Snoopy! The Musical plays at Area Stage through February 5, 2012.

The GableStage's critically acclaimed production of The Motherfucker with the Hat plays through February 5, 2012.

Laffing Matterz plays the Broward Center's Abdo New River Room, for its third season of dinner and comedy.

last chance to see...

The Slow Burn Theatre Company production of Urinetown plays at the West Boca Performing Arts Theater through January 29, 2012.

The Theatre Scene's current most-reviewed play is Palm Beach DramaWorks' critically lauded production of The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-on-the-Moon Marigolds, which winds up its run this January 29.

The Prisoner of Second Avenue finishes at the Broward Stage Door Theatre on January 29, 2012.

Cabaret plays that the Maltz Jupiter Theatre through January 29, 2012.

Infinite Abyss Productions winds up its original production of Snow White Trash at Empire Stage on January 28, 2012.

Infinite Abyss Productions other show, A Woman's World, also at Empire Stage, ends on January 29.

passing through...

Shakespeare Miami offers up its yearly outdoor offering; A Midsummer Night's Dream. It plays this weekend at Shell Lumber in Coconut Grove, and The Young Circle Amphitheater in Hollywood the following weekend.

Soul Doctor: Journey of a Rock-Star Rabbi finishes at Fort Lauderdale's Parker Playhouse January 29.

The smash hit Jersey Boys plays on in the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts through January 29, 2012.

Divorce Party: The Musical plays at the Kravis Center's Rinker Playhouse through February 19, 2012.

for kids...

Actors' Playhouse offers Alexander, Who's Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move! through March 9, 2012.

Sol Children's Theatre Troupe presents Narnia the Musical through February 5.

Snow White: An Enchanting Musical plays at Showtime Dance and Performing Arts Theatre through March 10.

Mondays are Dark

2012-01-23T06:27:00.001-05:00

We've been busy collating all the reviews that have been pouring in all week, but we still managed to pull together your Monday reading list.

On Brooklyn Boy in Boca
The Palm Beach Post talks with actor Avi Hoffman and director Kim St. Leon about the upcoming Broadway Boy, which launches Parade Productions in a couple of weeks.

Speaking of Avi
TheatreMania reports that Boynton Beach Club: A New Musical in Concert is set to play at the Park Vista Theatre next month. It took us a few moments to realize that this is the theater at Park Vista High School that was home to Avi Hoffman's late New Vista Theatre Company.

New Tour
Broadway World tells us about the national tour of Miss Abigails Guide to Dating, Mating, and Marriage!, which started in Rochester NY and makes its first stop at The Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

South Florida Represents I
Miami Children's Theater headed up to Atlanta to participate in The Junior Theater Festival, and Groundlings was in their company.

On Friday (the 13th of course) a bunch of MCT kids, directors and chaperones got on a morning flight to Atlanta for the Junior Theater Festival. JTF is an awesome yearly event that's sponsored by MTI, the amazing agency that licenses all kinds of shows including the growing Broadway Junior Collection.

South Florida Represents II
The Drama Queen tells us about some other South Floridians heading out of state; Dave Barry has a musical opening on Broadway (we are not making this up!), and the legendary Barbara Lowery is being honored at The Sundance Film Festival.

South Florida Collaborates
The Roxy Theatre Blog talks about how the Roxy Theatre Group is working with the Greater Miami Youth Symphony to present How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

A Kwiat Moment
Miami Artzine shares some of the poetry of David Kwiat, actor, theatre professor, writer, and, well, poet.

A Tale of Two Plays
Palm Beach Arts Paper examines two plays that opened last week (Love, Loss and What I Wore at Parker Playhouse, and Divorce Party The Musical at Kravis Center), and comes to a not-so-startling conclusion:

‘Love, Loss’ minor, but it’s Shakespeare compared to ‘Divorce Party.’

Ouch.

South Florida Gay News talks with Divorce Party's creator, Jay Falzone

Falzone describe the show as a parody about a phenomenon that has swept the country in recent years, divorce parties. In this new show, three women throw their own divorce party for a longtime friend who recently divorced...
The result is a show packed with plenty of comic mayhem and even a touch of “naughty,” as the characters, including one who is a lesbian, go through this new ritual to move forward with their lives.

Back with Broadway, Soon In Broward
BroadwayWorld.com reports that Seth Rudetsky's Broadway Chatterbox is back with all new interviews with Broadway celebrities. Rudetsky is coming to the Broward Center with his Big Fat 70's Show in April, where he'll also give a master class on auditioning.

A List of its Own
South Florida Theatre News seems to have started a reading list of its own, the Actors' Blog Watch.

Meanwhile...
...in Miami, the Coconut Grove Playhouse is still closed. Miami Today reports that it will be discussed by the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners on February 7.

According to Jorge Luis Lopez, an attorney representing the playhouse, the state has asked the county to work to expedite renovations on the theater. It asked that the county transfer ownership to the state, the former owner of the playhouse, should delays continue. Before the county can assume control of the playhouse and begin renovations it must agree to appropriate $20 million in existing designated funds toward the project and settle outstanding title issues

...in Palm Beach, the Royal Poinciana Playhouse is still closed. The Palm Beach Daily News reports that an inspection of the property, carried out by order of the Landmarks Preservation Commission two weeks ago, may not have been legal.

Trouble is, commissioners stepped on shaky ground when they authorized such an interior inspection, because there was no prior evidence that neglect was taking its toll, Town Attorney John “Skip” Randolph told the board this week. That would typically involve a code-inspection officer or, perhaps, another official observing evidence that a structural problem likely exists.

“Structural” is a key word here, Mr. Randolph warned. Whether or not any problem inside the building might prevent it from being reopened as a theater — a question of the building’s “use” — is beyond the commission’s purview.

I hope they sell peanuts at the commission meetings, because it sounds like it's a real circus up there.

Slow Burn Theatre: Urinetown (3 reviews)

2012-01-22T14:49:00.002-05:00

Slow Burn Theatre Company opened its production of Urinetown on January 20, 2012.

Urinetown? What kind of musical is that? Well, it's just one of the most uproariously funny musicals in recent years, that's all! And don't let the title fool you - it's rated PG!! In a time when evil corporations control the world's toilets, a revolutionary hero emerges to save mankind from their wicked grip. An inspired, exuberant, wickedly funny romp with a Tony-winning musical score. This one is sure to be the talk of the town! My town! YOUR town! Urinetown!

Patrick Fitzgerald directed a cast that included Matthew Korinko, Jaimie Kautzmann, Larry Buzzeo, Cindy Pearce, Daniel Schwab, and Lindsey Forgey.

Bill Hirschman reviewed for Florida Theater On Stage:

Slow Burn Theatre’s production of Urinetown the Musical marks another milestone in the young troupe’s evolution as a reliable purveyor of edgy, offbeat musical theater that few other mainstream companies have the courage to produce.

Urinetown qualifies as perhaps their strongest overall production with a corps of strong voices delivering production numbers with verve, witty performers who know how to put across deadpan comic lines, solid musical direction by Manny Schvartzman, and above all, inventive staging and choreography by Slow Burn co-founder Patrick Fitzwater.

Slow Burn also has a talent for finding talent we’ve never heard of but will make a point of watching for in the future. The find in this show is Cindy Pearce as the pee palace proprietor Penelope Pennywise , a short and stout dynamo with a clarion Merman-like singing voice and a Mae West swagger. The way she snaps out the name, Bobby (Bahb-bay), at every opportunity with an exaggerated topspin is hilarious in and of itself.

We feel we have to point out that Cindy Pearce has appeared in a large number of children's shows around South Florida in the last few years. It's not the first time Bill has pronounced an old hand to be a new discovery (Amy Anderson springs to mind); the reality is that there's a lot of great talent working on shows that reviewers never manage to see. Just sayin'.

...the cast is filled with solid performers: Daniel Schwab as the hero who does a mean gospel roof-raiser, Run Freedom Run; Slow Burn co-founder Matthew Korinko as the droll narrator Officer Lockstock; Larry Buzzeo who graduates from Slow Burn’s flamboyant Dr. Frank N. Furter to the stylishly smooth Cladwell.. Nova Southeastern University student Jaimie Kautzmann in the linchpin role of an obviously grown up “Little” Sally; and Slow Burn vet Lindsey Forgey as the slightly naïve but ever earnest heroine Hope.

Slow Burn was given a Silver Palm Award last month as Outstanding New Emerging Theater Company. Urinetown just underscores the wisdom of that call.

John Lariviere reviewed for Talkin' Broadway:

A five-piece orchestra accompanies a well sung show, and Patrick Fitzwater again provides very clean direction. He gets the comic style of the musical across with panache. The production also benefits from strong lighting and sound design by Lance Blank and Traci Almeida.

Matthew Korinko has a wonderful comedic touch as Officer Lockstock. His aside moments with Jamie Kautzmann as Little Sally are some of the funniest in the show, and also important in establishing the feel of musical. Jason Edelstein as Lockstock's sidekick, Officer Barrel, admirably finds a way to make an odd role interesting with his jittery, home-boy portrayal. Daniel Schwab does a nice job as the scruffy, under-dog Bobby Strong. Lindsey Forgey as Hope Caldwell is one of the strongest actors in the show, as she really gets all of her comic moments. Cindy Pearce is hysterical as Penelope Pennywise. She milks every possible double-take, double-entendre, entrance and exit in a nearly scene-stealing performance that makes it hard to watch anyone else when she is on stage.

This production of Urinetown is sheer fun from start to finish.

Christine Dolen reviewed for The Miami Herald:

Urinetown had its South Florida premiere in 2007 at Actors’ Playhouse in Coral Gables, earning three Carbonell Awards. Now Slow Burn Theatre in west Boca Raton is delivering its version of a funny, thought-provoking musical that isn’t all that shocking, the cringe-worthy title notwithstanding.

Slow Burn director-choreographer Patrick Fitzwater has assembled a large, young-skewing cast that collectively delivers the powerhouse vocal goods under the fine musical direction of Emmanuel Schvartzman ...the story gets told (and well sung) on Ian T. Almeida’s facility-filled set.

Matthew Korinko, Slow Burn’s co-artistic director and the company’s frequent star, is impressive as the comically villainous Officer Lockstock... Buzzeo is a gleefully over the top Cladwell, Cindy Pearce his female match (with Mae West overtones) as potty operator Penelope Pennywise. Lindsey Forgey is high-kicking and sweet-voiced as Hope Cladwell, the UGC “heiress” who falls for not-so-bad-boy Bobby.

Slow Burn is a musical theater company with moxie.... Sometimes, the choices tax Slow Burn’s resources, but somehow Fitzwater and Korinko manage to deliver musicals that entertain, provoke or do both. With Urinetown, Slow Burn demonstrates again it’s a company that is definitely heating up.

The Slow Burn Theatre Company production of Urinetown plays at the West Boca Performing Arts Theater through January 29, 2012.

Stage Door Theatre: The Prisoner of Second Avenue (2 reviews)

2012-01-22T10:09:00.000-05:00

The Stage Door Theatre opened its production of The Prisoner of Second Avenue at the Byron Carlyle Theatre in Miami Beach on November 4, 2011. The show ran through November 27, and then re-located to their Coral Springs location for a December 23rd opening.

New York City is in the middle of the worst heat wave in decades, and a garbage strike is in full swing. Mel Edison is being driven crazy by the two stewardesses who live next door and their all night parties. Just when he thinks it couldn’t get any worse, he gets robbed, and his psychiatrist dies with $23,000.00 of his money. Don’t miss this wildly funny Neil Simon comedy..

W.F. Wilson directed a cast that included Dan Kelley, Derelle Bunn, Bob Levitt, Phyllis Spear, Gail Byer, and Margie Elias Eisenberg.

John Lariviere reviewed for Talkin' Broadway:

At the time this admittedly dark comedy was written, the improbability of all that befalls the Edisons is what made it comical. It was a time when the corporate world was strong and companies did not just go out of business overnight. Today the tale is one told all over the United States. An upside-down housing market, high unemployment, companies cutting benefits, retirement funds disappearing, Occupy Wall Street, and a recession that is not yet over make The Prisoner of Second Avenue a far darker comedy than originally intended.

As the downtrodden Mel, Dan Kelley wrings out every possible ounce of comedy in his performance. His rubber-faced antics, character quirks, and fast-paced responses help lighten the play considerably... Bob Levitt as Mel's brother Harry has a nice moment in the second act when he scrapes off a bit of his crusty nature to reveal his feelings about Mel for probably the first time in his life. Phyllis Spear, Gail Byer and Margie Elias Eisenberg are well cast as the three sisters. They titter like birds sitting on a fence as they speak over one another with the comfortable familiarity born of long acquaintance.

Derelle Bunn as Edna conveys a warmth and affection for Mel amidst all he concern for his mental health. Both actors thankfully find the bittersweet humor of the play in the last scene. It is Neil Simon's version of survival by merely laughing through it all.

Ron Hagwood wrote for The Sun-Sentinel:

Imagine someone — today — dropped a bucket of water on you from the 1970s and the first thought you had was, "Wow, that water is still bracing after 40 years."

That's kind of how you might feel watching The Prisoner of Second Avenue at Stage Door Theatre in Coral Springs.

"The Prisoner of Second Avenue" really hums along when it's just Mel and Edna in the first act. Simon's dialogue comes at such a rapid pace and Kelley has a real knack for blending punch lines seamlessly into the dialogue so it all avoids hokeyness. Bunn takes a while to ramp up, but hits it solidly by the second act, which may perhaps be more due to the script than the decisions of director W.F. Wilson.

Aaah, the second act. That's when Simon — normally a very canny writer — sends in the cavalry, even if the plot hardly needed a rescue. I would have loved to watch Mel and Edna bat it around a bit more, just the two of them. Instead we get Mel's brother and three sisters for a funny, if not an altogether unnecessary, intervention

The Prisoner of Second Avenue plays at the Broward Stage Door Theatre through January 29, 2012.

Actors' Playhouse: Next To Normal (4 reviews)

2012-01-21T12:22:00.002-05:00

Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theater opened its production of the Pulitzer Prize winning musical Next to Normal on January 20, 2012.

One family is about to face the music. Next to Normal is an emotional powerhouse of a musical about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other. It is about one woman's struggle with manic depression and the toll it takes on her family. Next to Normal's surging score is intense, emotional and ultimately hopeful of how the family comes to terms with their past and faces their future. A truly remarkable, moving and powerful new musical.

David Arisco directed a cast that included Jodi Langel, Mark Sanders, Eddy Roiseco, Sarah Amengual, Nick Duckart, and Ben Liebert.

Roger Martin reviewed for Miami Artzine:

Every piece of music in next to normal is listenable...and enjoyable. And that's an awesome feat in modern musicals. And every line of dialogue rings true, because its written that way and because almost every line is sung beautifully by the terrific cast at Actors' Playhouse.

Jodie Langel, Mark Sanders, Nick Duckart, Sarah Amengual, Ben Liebert and Eddy Rioseco are simply bloody marvellous. As each enters you think ah, good, more pleasure. Such great theatre.

Eric Alsford leads musicians Martha Spangler, Roy Fantel, Sandy Poltarack. Elena Alamilla, Bogdan Chrusczc and Jill Sheer through an evening of gorgeous listening. And many, many thanks to sound designer Alexander Herrin who kept the levels and mix exactly right. Every word, every note, perfectly clear.

John Lariviere reviewed for Talkin' Broadway:

Jodie Langel's portrayal of Diana is an acting triumph of beauty and pain... Sarah Amengual turns in a strong performance as her attention-starved teenage daughter Natalie...

...the level of musicianship displayed by every member of the cast is worthy of praise. They demonstrate a real understanding of sharing their musical space. As vocal melodies and themes overlap and weave together, they are mindful of dynamic shaping, so that the most important line is always the one that is heard. Such contentious ensemble singing is rare, and both the ensemble and music director Eric Alsford deserve credit for performing a difficult score so well.

Next To Normal is not standard musical theatre fare. The dark and disturbing nature of the storyline rules this show out as an appropriate choice for children, teens or even a date... As oppressive as this may be, it succeeds powerfully in wringing empathy from the audience, effectively creating a memorable if disturbing theatrical experience.

Christine Dolen reviewed for The Miami Herald:

Easily among the finest shows the company has presented in its long history, the musical by composer Tom Kitt and lyricist-playwright Brian Yorkey offers an intense examination of a woman’s struggle with bipolar disorder and the familial toll that fight takes. This is musical theater as serious as it is glorious, an insightful and moving drama that happens to be exquisitely sung.

Kitt’s music, so beautifully performed by the onstage orchestra led by musical director Eric Alsford at the baby grand, taps into rock idioms on songs like Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I’m Falling, the angry Superboy and the Invisible Girl and the defiant I’m Alive. But the score also boasts the tender waltz I Dreamed a Dance, as well as ballads and contemporary theater songs that paint a harrowing portrait of a family in crisis.

Director David Arisco has assembled a cast and production team that serves this challenging, illuminating show in every way. The “family” members, plus Ben Liebert as Natalie’s would-be boyfriend Henry and Nick Duckart as two of the many doctors who try to hit on just the right treatment for Diana, have Broadway-quality voices that blend exquisitely. Alexander Herrin’s sound design is a triumph of clarity, blend and moment-to-moment levels that help make a complex show completely comprehensible.

The performances, particularly Langel’s brilliant portrayal of the passionate, suffering Diana, are on par with the best work you can find at the country’s top regional theaters, in exceptional touring companies or in first-rate New York shows. This production really is that good, that special.

Bill Hirschman reviewed for Florida Theater On Stage:

Artistic Director David Arisco long ago proved his expertise at staging mainstream crowd-pleasers and there’s nothing wrong with a purely entertaining evening.

But next to normal and a handful of atypically adventurous Actors Playhouse productions show that Arisco can mount sublime theater when he is inspired by challenging material and is teamed with equally skilled colleagues.

...every aspect – the magnificent acting, the adroit direction, the music, the lyrics, the band, the lights, the sound – all seem transformed into the unified yearning of an outstretched arm reaching for salvation.

Musical director Eric Alsford has longed to do this show since seeing it, twice, on Broadway, and he makes the most of this opportunity. The score often involves two or even all six actors singing differing melody lines or harmonies or vocal accompaniments. Alsford smoothly melds them like streams feeding into a single waterfall, yet with the separate streams still identifiable.

Every single (cast member) is superb and clearly in love with the work – fine strong singers who lace their voices with passion and their acting with a recognizable humanity.

First among equals is Langel... This is a killer role both in its emotional demands and its vocal requirements, but she is up to it.

Sanders is perfect as the stolid if solid spouse... His warm baritone, often pushed into the falsetto stratosphere to express anxiety, gives the entire show a grounding. His penultimate number “I Am The One,” a duet with Gabe, is shattering.

Amengual has a preternatural talent for such a young woman. She has an expressive angelic voice living alongside an actor’s talent... She is fine throughout, but the intelligence, fury and angst she invests in “Superboy and the Invisible Girl” is a standout moment.

Rioseco is equally impressive as a joyfully anarchic tempter and destabilizer... His rendition of the blazing “I’m Alive” is, no pun intended, electrifying.

The creative team members are all Actors’ veterans, but this is some of their best work. Patrick Tennent’s lighting is a marvel of the art... Ellis Tillman’s costumes, seeming simple, perfectly express character. Gene Seyffer’s jungle gym setting of the bones of a house, made up of pipes and platforms, is as if an X-ray has exposed what goes on in the suburban house next door.

Special kudos are due to sound designer Alexander Herrin. After the disastrous sound at last fall’s Hairspray, the sound here is as crisp, clean and comprehensible as the aging hall, the cacophonous score and the singers’ sometimes imperfect diction allowed.

A last kudo to producers Barbara and Larry Stein for taking a huge risk with such a powerful and thought-provoking work.

Next to Normal plays at Actors' Playhouse through February 12, 2012.

Arsht Center: NE 2nd Avenue (reviews)

2012-01-20T22:37:00.001-05:00

Teo Castellanos' NE 2nd Avenue played at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts for a short run, January 18 through January 21, 2012.

Voted Best Solo Performance by Miami New Times and Edinburgh Fringe Festival Winner, NE 2nd Avenue conveys the profoundly rich and textured mix of real Miami neighborhoods.

The emotional, often humorous one-man play depicts the lives of a Puerto Rican small time drug dealer, a deprived African-American young lady, a Haitian jitney driver, a Cuban-Jewish grandfather, Rasta Man, African American adolescent trying to find his footing in life, a Cuban rafter and a gay man, who each take the audience on a memorable journey through the intense streets of Miami.

Michael John Garcés directed playwright Teo Castellanos in his one-man show.

Christine Dolen reviewed for The Miami Herald:

Now Castellanos has returned to his breakthrough piece for a too-short run in the Carnival Studio Theater at Miami’s Arsht Center. The venue, which didn’t exist when he created his play, seems fated to host it: After all, the west side of the building that contains the Carnival Studio Theater is on the street that gives NE 2nd Avenue its title.

Castellanos, simply switching hats, shoes, accents and his physicality, morphs into eight characters the young man meets on a journey that will take him from Wynwood to North Miami.

Castellanos, who looks the same and moves as easily as he did a decade ago, has altered and updated the show a bit, mentioning such things as Art Basel and President Obama. Certainly, life along NE Second Avenue and in the larger world has changed in myriad ways over the past 10 years. But the playwright-performer and his insightful, multicultural Miami-made play are as engaging as ever.

Bill Hirschman reviewed for Florida Theater On Stage:

Teo Castellanos’ shape-shifting depiction of eight denizens of Miami’s polyglot culture in NE 2nd Avenue is remarkable for how his body language physically defines radically different people.

But far more remarkable is his mastery of these diverse characters’ idiosyncratic sound: the vocabulary, the rhythms, the intonations and timbres – each resulting in a unique music.

This one-man show at the Arsht Center, funny and profound literally at the same time, is a sociological-anthropological field trip as if Castellanos was a hip-hop Margaret Mead. It takes us on a tour of the adjacent neighborhoods on the titular boulevard highlighted by encounters with a variety of inhabitants.

This entry in the Arsht’s campaign to produce local shows, Theater Up Close, is only here through Saturday but the shows may be sold out.

NE 2nd Avenue plays at the Arsht Center through January 21, 2012.

The Scene for January 20, 2012

2012-01-19T07:48:00.002-05:00

The Carbonell Award Nominations are out, and there's a lot of pleased hubbub about how many smaller companies made the cut this year; the awards ceremony will be April 2 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, so save the date!

In the meantime, here are the entries for next year's Carbonell Awards....

opening...

The much anticipated Next to Normal opens at Actors' Playhouse.

Slow Burn Theatre opens its production of Urinetown this weekend.

Infinite Abyss Productions opens A Woman's World at Empire Stage, through January 29. It's running in conjunction with Snow White Trash, so you can make a night of it.

you still haven't missed...

Snoopy! The Musical plays at Area Stage through February 5, 2012.

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity plays at the Caldwell Theatre Company through February 12, 2012.

Cabaret plays that the Maltz Jupiter Theatre through January 29, 2012.

Infinite Abyss Productions presents its original production of Snow White Trash at Empire Stage, through January 28, 2012.

Palm Beach DramaWorks critically lauded production of The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-on-the-Moon Marigolds plays through January 29.

The GableStage's critically acclaimed production of The Motherfucker with the Hat plays through February 5, 2012.

The Prisoner of Second Avenue plays at the Broward Stage Door Theatre through January 29, 2012.

Laffing Matterz plays the Broward Center's Abdo New River Room, for its third season of dinner and comedy.

last chance to see...

The Entr'Acte Theatrix production of Godspell winds up at the Borland Center for the Performing Arts this weekend.

passing through...

NE 2nd Avenue makes a dash through the Arsht Center.

Love, Loss, and What I Wore plays at the Parker Playhouse through January 22, 2012.

Women Fully Clothed plays the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, one night only, January 19.

The smash hit Jersey Boys plays on in the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts through January 29, 2012.

Divorce Party: The Musical plays at the Kravis Center's Rinker Playhouse through February 19, 2012.

for kids...

Actors' Playhouse offers Alexander, Who's Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move! through March 9, 2012.

Parker Playhouse: Love, Loss, and What I Wore (reviews)

2012-01-18T21:45:00.002-05:00

The National Tour of Nora and Delia Ephron's Love Loss, and What I Wore opened at the Parker Playhouse on January 17, 2012.

Finally a play that dares to ask: “Can’t we all just stop pretending anything is ever going to be the new black?” LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE opens the closet on this and other sartorial queries by using clothes as a metaphor for matters far deeper than the average walk-in closet. This intimate collection of stories by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron is based on the best-seller by Ilene Beckerman, as well as on the recollections of the Ephrons’ friends.

Karen Carpenter directed an all-star cast including Emily Dorsch, Daisy Eagan, Sonia Manzano, Loretta Swit and Myra Lucretia Taylor. Produced by Daryl Roth.

Christine Dolen reviewed for The Miami Herald:

Like The Vagina Monologues, the play features performers who sit at music stands with the script in front of them, allowing actresses to do short runs of the show without having to learn lines or memorize movement.

But that doesn’t mean there’s no acting going on in Love, Loss and What I Wore. Far from it.

Swit, slender, pale and chic, plays the engaging Gingy, a woman of a certain age and the gal who ties the evening together... Charting the ups and downs of Gingy’s life, Swit is always a radiant presence.

Eagan and Dorsch have a lovely, touching scene in which they play brides searching for the perfect outfit for their special day. Manzano, so well known as Maria on Sesame Street, gets two particularly pithy characters, one a politician with a rebellious past, the other a breast cancer survivor. The chameleonic Taylor is poignant as she shares a story about the meaning of a bathrobe, grandly hilarious as she sputters out a tale about her problems with purses.

Love, Loss and What I Wore, which had intermittent ear-splitting sound problems on opening night, doesn’t have the depth, emotional resonance or writing quality of The Vagina Monologues. But a versatile cast and relatable subject make for an enjoyable 90 minutes of theater.

Bill Hirschman reviewed for Florida Theater On Stage:

The evening features five women telling 90 minutes of stories, touching and uproarious, about how everything from Birkenstock shoes to an old bathrobe provide the touchstones of the authors’ lives. It often seems less theater so much as eavesdropping on a dish-fest that lingers over coffee in a restaurant after a two-hour lunch.

Helmed by director Karen Carpenter, the five women interact with each other, portray secondary characters in someone else’s story, often fire off examples of a theme like “The Closet” in what sometimes seems like a choral performance of contrapuntal voices. They also pay attention to each other, smiling as broadly at the tales as the audience members.

Beckerman’s ongoing story, told by Swit and augmented with her own drawings, is interrupted and enhanced with recollections written by 18 other women including Rosie O’Donnell, Alex Witchel, Mary Rodgers and Merrill Markoe. Other than Swit, each actress plays women of different ages, ethnicities and social backgrounds. Each tells their stories with a savor in their voice usually reserved for gourmet food.

...easily the high spot was the routine about how purses reflect the interior disorder of their owners’ lives. Taylor’s perfectly cadenced and paced storytelling was uninterrupted hilarity.

But the evening also ties clothing to more sober occasions such as Manzano’s story of a woman who faces a mastectomy dressed to the nines to reaffirm her control and dignity, and whose imagining of a lacy white bra got her through reconstructive surgery.

Love, Loss and What I Wore is a surprisingly satisfying evening in the theater of reaffirming self-recognition.

Love, Loss, and What I Wore plays at the Parker Playhouse through January 22, 2012.

Promethean Theatre: Boeing-Boeing (4 reviews)

2012-01-17T13:01:00.004-05:00

The Promethean Theatre opened its production of Boeing-Boeing at the Nova Southeastern University Don Taft University Center Black Box Theatre on January 13, 2012.

The uproarious jet-propelled comedy that had audiences and critics cheering in London and on Broadway in a 2008 Tony-winning production, is coming in for a landing on the TPT stage!

Revived on Broadway in 2008, this 1960's French farce features self-styled Parisian lothario Bernard, who has international fiancees, each beautiful airline hostesses with frequent "layovers". He keeps "one up, one down and one pending" until unexpected schedule changes bring all three to Paris and Bernard's apartment at the same time. Grab your boarding pass for a rollicking good time.

Margaret Ledford directed a cast that included Sally Bondi, Lauren Butler, Matthew William Chizever, Mark Duncan, Monica Lynne Herrera, and Rachel Lomax.

John Thomason wrote for The Broward/Palm Beach New Times:

Margaret Ledford directs the play like the perpetual-motion machine that it is, but this oft-staged classic isn't as manic or zany as the best farces (think Lend Me a Tenor, Noises Off). A strong ensemble sells the familiar material with gusto and good humor. Chizever plays Bernard like an old Jack Lemmon archetype — flushed, flustered, and reaching the end of his tether. Rachel Lomax generates the most laughs as Bernard's Teutonic paramour, and Mark Duncan steals many scenes as his impossibly anxious estranged friend turned partner in crime. Only Sally Bondi, as Bernard's maid, fails to meet expectations, with an inconsistent French accent that leaves on a jet plane whenever it pleases.

J.W. Arnold reviewed for South Florida Gay News:

The challenge with farce is timing and, under the direction of Margaret Ledford, the cast is largely successful with the gags as one girl emerges the instant another is shoved unwillingly out the door. But, despite a brisk pace, the play—two acts and nearly two and a half hours with intermission—labors on at times and could benefit from some editing. It’s a 30-minute TV sitcom on steroids and we all know that steroids sometimes have some unintended side effects.

Chizever is a dashing Bernard, but it’s the deadpan performances from Duncan and Bondi that steal the show as his unenthusiastic co-conspirators. Butler, Herrera and especially the jack-booted Lomax also provide plenty of laughs, all dressed in their stylish period airline uniforms, courtesy of costume designer Ellis Tillman.

Until Mad Men returns to the airwaves in March, Boeing Boeing is the best option to get your retro fix, farce or not.

Christine Dolen reviewed for The Miami Herald, but starts off with a qualifier;

Some folks love farce. Others think farce belongs in a category with mimes, interactive theater and root canals: things we know exist but wouldn’t jump to experience. With a few exceptions... I’m with the latter group.

And now on to the review:

Director Margaret Ledford tries mightily to keep the play airborne on Kelly Berry’s swingin’ ‘60s set. The actors push hard to achieve the physical comedy farce requires, but too much of the movement looks strained or uncomfortable rather than artfully choreographed.

Chizever and Bondi, two very good actors, are out of their element here. His Bernard comes off as a blustering bull in a china shop, and her Bertha (sporting a pitiful French accent) is more bored beatnik than wily housekeeper. Butler’s Gloria and Herrera’s Gabriella are so over-the-top obnoxious that their “charms” remain thoroughly hidden. Only the lanky Lomax and milquetoast Duncan make their odd-couple characters work.

Bill Hirschman reviewed for Florida Theater On Stage:

Promethean and its house director Margaret M. Ledford, best known for thought-provoking dramas and campy summer musicals, enter new territory with an out and out comedy that requires skill and discipline. As proven by the copious laughter in the hall, they acquit themselves well.

There’s a nagging indefinable something missing that would make it a home run. Maybe it’s a tautness, that feeling of an intricate watch spring whirring. It even sags a few times. But overall, Ledford and the cast deliver as entertaining a comedy as we’ve likely seen this season.

Duncan gives Robert a sad-sack puppy dog expression that bespeaks a virginal loneliness. He starts just a little too nebbishy to be credible and his character’s reticence slows down the first fifth of the play. But when the plot heats up and Duncan has developments to react to, so does his performance.

Chizever puts across a carefree confidence in the early scenes and then the appropriately unhinged terror as it all comes apart. Bondi is just okay here as the put-upon, muttering maid.

The women are as delightful as they are lovely. Herrera is soon to graduate from Nova Southeastern University... But she seems much older and more experienced an actress with her creation of the Italian spitfire who smolders and rages at her fiancé’s inexplicable behavior.

Butler, a recent Nova grad, is terribly funny as the supremely self-possessed, aggressive and lusciously sexy partner – a 1960 adolescent’s fantasy.

But the standout in the entire cast is the tall, willowy Lomax who chews up the scenery and everything else in sight with her wonderfully way over-the-top characterization... Her performance underscores the tone of the rest of the show: Boeing Boeing is a comical Rat Pack Roadrunner cartoon.

The Promethean Theatre production of Boeing-Boeing plays at the Nova Southeastern University Don Taft University Center Black Box Theatre through January 29, 2012.

Area Stage: Snoopy!The Musical (3 reviews)

2012-01-16T18:47:00.002-05:00

Area Stage Company opened its production of Snoopy! The Musical on January 14, 2012.

Join Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, and the rest of the Peanuts gang in a romp through the struggles and joys that they endure in their daily life. With a wonderful cast of the characters you know and love, Snoopy! The Musical is a fun, kind hearted show that is great for the whole family!

Snoopy is a musical comedy by Larry Grossman and Hal Hackady, with a book by Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw, and Michael Grace.

Arthur Whitelaw directed a cast that included Joshua Gobarganes, Giancarlo Rodaz, David Harrison, Marilyn Caserta, Brigid Kegel, Marc Alvarez, and Anamari Mesa.

Michelle Solomon reviewed for Florida Theater On Stage:

Arthur Whitelaw, who co-authored the book for Snoopy! The Musical, directs Area Stage Company’s production that features the Coral Gables-based company’s conservatory members and mixes in professional actors. It is quite a coup to have Whitelaw, whose credits in the professional theater and television span more than 50 years and who has won every major industry award.

Whitelaw can be credited with how comfortable the cast is with their roles both individually and as an ensemble in Snoopy! And it’s this ease, plus the hard work of the cast that saves the day.

Joshua Dobarganes as Snoopy is a showman, but his eager beagle should/could have a bit more muscle and a tad less sneer. While Snoopy’s character has always been overzealous and overly confident, he’s still likeable.

Standouts in the cast include Marilyn Caserta as Peppermint Patty whose natural talent shines through in her solos... and Marc Alvarez as Linus who has the audience sympathizing with his plight as his beloved blanket goes to the laundry in “The Vigil.” Giancarlo Rodaz steals the show as the hyperkinetic, yellow haired Woodstock.

While Snoopy is the stuff of comic strip legend as the coolest beagle around, Snoopy! The Musical just doesn’t live up to Joe Cool standards.

Roger Martin reviewed for Miami Artzine.com:

Snoopy! The Musical is almost as old as Snoopy, the dog, who was first drawn by Charles Schultz in the Peanuts comic strip in 1950. Co-written by Arthur Whitelaw who also produced and directed, Snoopy! The Musical premiered in 1975. And Arthur Whitelaw is here, directing this version at Area Stage, as part of their professional team.

It may be an old show, this Snoopy! The Musical, but the cast is young. High schoolers, collegians and a couple of professionals, one equity. They're a talented group, enthusiastic and joyful, who do well by the twenty songs of Larry Grossman and Hal Hackady.

There's not a highly involved plot going on here... But for all that, Snoopy! The Musical is likeable family fare that showcases some kids who might go far in musical theatre.

Christine Dolen reviewed for The Miami Herald:

Area Stage Company, a pioneering Lincoln Road company admired for its strong productions of challenging plays, has lately carved out a niche in its larger Coral Gables home with ambitious musicals performed by conservatory students.

With its new production of Snoopy! The Musical, Area is easing back into professional fare, tapping some of those talented students and a couple of pros for its blended cast. The seven actors have worked with a director who knows the material as well as anyone: Arthur Whitelaw, the veteran producer, actor, writer and director who helped write the musical’s script. Whitelaw also produced and staged the original Off-Broadway production in 1982 and directed a 2004 London production.

Whitelaw’s direction is fine, David Graden’s set and costumes are cartoon colorful, and the actors are mostly up to the not-too-taxing demands of the script and songs.

The performers handle Michelle Petrucci’s choreography well, crisply tapping to When Do the Good Things Start? to end the first act. ...Patty’s Poor Sweet Baby is overflowing with faux tenderness, thanks to the impressive Caserta, who clearly has a future in musical theater.

Dobarganes, the only member of Actors’ Equity in the cast, gives a big comedic performance in the title role, as he should. Yet more than once he wanders off-key, like Snoopy breaking free of a leash.

Snoopy! The Musical plays at Area Stage through February 5, 2012.

2011 Carbonell Awards Nominations

2012-01-16T15:11:00.002-05:00

As noted in Mondays are Dark, the nominations for the 2011 Carbonell Awards have been announced. And as we mentioned then, it's a competitive field.

There have been complaints over the years that the process is flawed, and polical; that some are nominated for political reasons instead of on merit: and those complaints are not without some merit. After all, Arnold Mittelman recieved an acheivement award the day before his theatre, the Coconut Grove Playhouse, was shuttered. There was a movement suggesting that the attendees stand and turn their back on him as he was awarded, and there was a very strained smattering of applause.

The Nomination is the Reward
But that was then; with new criteria to recommend shows for consideration and a year of unparalleled production quality, it's hard to argue that any nominee isn't worthy.

Florida Theater On Stage comments on some of the past controversy:

An overwhelming 43 nominations were racked up by Palm Beach County theaters. That eclipses the 30 for theaters in Miami-Dade County, which has usually been the strongest concentration of competitors in a program most theater people hate to consider a competition. Even Broward County posted a strong showing with 26 nominations.

The inescapable irony to longtime Carbonell insiders is that Palm Beach theaters have long criticized the awards for giving short shrift to the work done in the northern county.

Bill Hirschman also gives us a peak into the difficulties choosing just 5 nominations for each and every category:

Full disclosure: I am one of the ten judges who debated and joked and looked askance at each other from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 or so Sunday. The quality of the past year’s work was evident in the many impassioned discussions by well-meaning colleagues over categories that started out with as many 21 names on the table. One category took five ballots to settle on five rather than six nominees as required by the rules.

Well, Maybe Not EVERY Nod...
The Miami Herald expresses surprise at one omission:

Notably absent from best musical contention is the boisterous production of Hairspray done at Actors’ Playhouse in Coral Gables. The show’s director and leading “lady” David Arisco (he played big mama Edna Turnblad) was also snubbed.

In a field where Promethean's Song of the Living Dead earned five nominations, that's worth noting.

Having seen both productions, let's reflect upon it.

The Playhouse has more resources to put into it, but Promethean had to overcome its limitations.
Hairspray's set was far more polished, but Living Dead had more special effects.
Hairspray had amazing big dance numbers, and Living Dead had... zombies.
Living Dead was the greater unknown of the two productions, so Promethean took the greater risk... except that they're based at a college during a renaissance of zombie stories.
Everyone who went to Living Dead expected to have fun - and did.
But we've talked to a few people who wouldn't have gone to see Hairspray
except to see Dave or Avi (or another friend in the production) and
came away amazed at how much fun they wound up having due to the energy
pouring off that stage.

On reflection, we can't help but think that the tabulating still needs some tweaking.

Short List
The Examiner reports that while all ten of its list for Best Live Professional Theater received nods, 6 theaters didn't make their list. Richard Cameron also has a list of "upsets."

The Carbonell upsets are no nomination for HBO's The Sopranos star Ray Abruzzo for Best Actor in Lombardi for Mosaic Theatre and Broward Stage Door known for it's canned music has mutiple nominations for The Light in the Piazza thanks to Director Michael Leeds who may be the only Broadway local credited Director that our Florida theatres continue to hire. Once again Director Joseph Adler nominated for Red at GableStage is a sure Top Pick as GableStage production choices and production values continue to be the best for plays in south Florida with Mosaic Theatre falling close behind.

How many other Broadway directors are living in South Florida, anyway?

Thing That Make Us go Hmmm...

If Jupiter Theatre wins for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat last year (but this season), what does it do the chances for the Actors' Playhouse production, opening in a few months? A number of years ago, Theater Club of the Palm Beaches won best production of a play for Eleemosynary; the following season, Miami Shakespeare mounted a production of Eleemosynary that was a cinch to win - but it didn't. As TD of the production that DID win - Theatre Club's The Stickwife - I can tell you they got gypped. Should the fact that a play won the year before enter into discussion for the next year's crop of nominees?
The Director is the person who brings all the elements of a production together; how is it that year after year, the list of nominated directors doesn't match up with nominated best productions?

All this said, we're very pleased with the spread of the nominations; it's hard to argue that "the same people" get nominated over and over again when there are so many new names on the list this year.

Mondays are Dark

2012-01-16T06:17:00.008-05:00

The nominations for the 2011 Carbonell Awards were published by the Carbonell Awards Organization last night.

In a year filled with extraordinary and varied theatre presentations, nominations were spread throughout the region, from Jupiter to Coral Gables, with 13 companies receiving nominations, and 28 of the 68 eligible shows that opened in 2011 given recognition.

Palm Beach County theatres soared ahead with 43 nominations, followed by Miami-Dade with 28, and Broward County with 27 nominations.

The awards ceremony will be held at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on April 2, 2012. And this year, there are no forgone conclusions; it was a year of incredible high production value, and it's the first time we can recall where every single nominee makes complete sense.

When you're finished with the list, here's some other stuff to read:

Busy Busy Busy
The Miami Herald reports that it's the peak of theatre season in South Florida.

...this month is insanely busy on South Florida stages. More than a dozen local professional productions are running or soon to open, augmented by that reliable powerhouse Jersey Boys and other touring fare.

Shuffling those Tiles
Mosaic Theatre announces a change in its season line-up.

Speaking of Changes
Florida Theater On Stage reports that Costume World won't be buying Stage Door Theatre after all.

Costume World's CEO Marilyn Wick confirmed Wednesday that the deal has stalled, although both parties said a slight possibility exists of salvaging the deal sometime in the future.

Since The Drama Queen reports that Stage Door just announced a 2012-13 season in the Coral Springs venue, we wouldn't recommend that anyone hold their breath.

Speaking of Season Announcements
The Alliance Theatre Lab announces their 2012 season; and it's bold.

We are extremely proud to announce that our 2012 Season will be dedicated to solely presenting original works. After the success of last season's Brothers Beckett, we couldn't be more thrilled to embark on this exciting adventure!

Note that this isn't the niche filled by the late Florida Stage, which produced soley NEW works. Alliance is talking ORIGINAL works, which means they're creating plays from scratch. Like we said, BOLD.

Cabaret Comes to Life
Edge Miami goes behind the scenes at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre. Their production of Cabaret opened to rave reviews this past weekend.

"This is the 1998 revival that is more powerful and grittier than the movie we all remember so well," Kato said. "We are really lucky to be able to bring this to South Florida with B.T. Nicholl, the premier director authorized to produce this version."

Everybody Loves a Parade
The Sun-Sentinel talks with the founders of one of South Florida's newest theatre companies.

"When you grow up dreaming of theater, you aren't thinking of competition," said Caplin with a laugh last Thursday afternoon from the sun-lit dining room of a Starbucks in Boca. As her friend and Parade partner Kim St. Leon watches on, Caplin bends over a turkey patty flecked with shredded lettuce and flicks the floppy kaiser bun across the plate. She carves off a piece of patty and takes a mouthful ("I'm a starving actress," she adds with a smirk) before continuing.

"You're thinking of creativity. Theater is a vital part of the human experience, the mirror that shows us what society is about. The key is, you want more theater than you fear the economy," she said.

Candace Caplin and Kim St. Leon's Parade Productions kicks off next week with Brooklyn Boy.

Speaking of New Theatre Companies
Talkin' Broadway talks with the founder of another new company in town; Alan Jacobson, who is opening The Plaza Theatre in Florida Stage's old digs at Manalapan's Plaza Del Mar.

Jacobson hopes to be self-sustaining, covering basic operating expenses through ticket sales and classes. His operating budget has not yet been set but he will be opening his first season with a small staff as he establishes the new theatre. The scheduled March closing of the nearby Ocean Avenue bridge for lengthy repair may slow traffic a bit, but not Jacobson's optimism. He has already received a $10,000 donation and is fielding multiple calls from parties interested in bringing their shows to The Plaza Theatre.

Shockingly Good
The hot ticket this month is Next To Normal at Actors' Playhouse, and it hasn't even opened yet. The Miami Herald explains what all the fuss is about.

The searing, shimmering rock musical Next to Normal, which began as a 10-minute musical workshop piece on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT, today's version of shock therapy), is an extraordinary addition to that genre. With a Tony Award-winning score by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, the musical about a woman's struggle with bipolar disorder was awarded the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for drama.

The 2010 Pulitzer, bestowed by the award's board (which bypassed the drama jury's three suggested finalists, including Kristoffer Diaz's The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, now playing at Boca Raton's Caldwell Theatre Company), was an unexpected thrill for Kitt and Yorkey. Theirs is just the eighth musical to win the drama Pulitzer, after Rent, Sunday in the Park With George, A Chorus Line, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Fiorello!, South Pacific and Of Thee I Sing.

We've heard from Playhouse insiders that the music wafting from the rehearsal hall is amazing.

New Theatre's Winter
BroadwayWorld tells us about New Theatre's next play; Robert Caisley's Winter, opening at their news space at The Roxy Performing Art Center.

Under the direction of Artistic Director, Ricky J. Martinez, the Winter's family saga comes to life with New Theatre veterans: Scott Douglas Wilson, Annemaria Rajala and Barbara Sloan and making her New Theatre debut Nicole Quintana. The company is rounded out by New Theatre Production Stage Manager, Jerry Jensen with Scenic Designer: Nicole Quintana; Costume Designer: K. Blair Brown and making their New Theatre debut Sound Designer: Alexis Bonilla and Lighting Designer: Eric J. Cantrell.

Yet Another (noun) The Musical Production
The Shiny Sheet has the story of a how musical about divorce came together; Divorce Party the Musical is playing at The Kravis Center. Speaking of which, why hasn't Dave Arisco directed Musical of Musicals (the Musical) yet?

Wonderland Returns
BroadwayWorld reports that Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is returning to The Playground Theater in Miami Shores.

Original cast members Linda Bernhard and Marjorie O'Neill-Butler from South Florida are joined by New York actors Emily Batsford, Josh Carpenter, and Jeremy Greenbaum, Chicago actor Makeba Pace, and South Florida actors Troy Davidson, Edson Jean, and Nikki Lowe for the highly anticipated return of ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND.

1-2-3; More Poetry
Conundrum Stages announces its 3rd annual evening of poetry on January 28.

A Joyful Noise
BroadwayWorld tells us about the Entr'Acte Theatrix production of Godspell, which played last weekend at someplace called The Borland Center, and plays this weekend at the Flagler Campus of the Palm Beach Day Academy. It's an appropriate space: it used to be a Unity Church.

Meanwhile...
...in Palm Beach, the Royal Poinciana Playhouse is still closed. But The Palm Beach Daily News reports that it's likely to remain standing for the foreseeable future.

Building Official Jeffrey L. Taylor has determined the Royal Poinciana Playhouse appears to be in good shape, though it needs a new fuse panel... Commissioner William Cooley pushed for the inspection in December, suggesting that the landmarked building's owner is allowing demolition by neglect.

...in Miami, The Coconut Grove Grapevine reports that vandals broke into the long-shuttered Coconut Grove Playhouse.

Well, the little skater boys decided to get in and destroy the place, you can't see it from the exterior, but they broke all sorts of glass inside, including computer monitors and other things.

The Grapevine also mentions that squatters were in residence at some point.