Your South Florida Theatre's Production Pictures Here
Contact SFTN to find out how to get your production pictures posted here on our blog.
Your South Florida Theatre's Production Pictures Here
Contact SFTN to find out how to get your production pictures posted here on our blog.
Your South Florida Theatre's Production Pictures Here
Contact SFTN to find out how to get your production pictures posted here on our blog.
Your South Florida Theatre's Production Pictures Here
Contact SFTN to find out how to get your production pictures posted here on our blog.
Your South Florida Theatre's Production Pictures Here
Contact SFTN to find out how to get your production pictures posted here on our blog.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Current Productions for the week of November 28, 2011
Guys and Dolls
at Broward Stage Door Theatre Until Dec 4
Nathan Detroit, the organizer of the oldest permanent floating crap game, bets Sky Masterson that he can't make the next girl he sees fall in love with him. Featuring “Guys and Dolls”, “Luck Be a Lady Tonight”, and “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat”, this beloved musical is also a great American classic and multiple Tony-Award Winner!
RED by John Logan
at The Gable stage at the Biltmore Until Dec4 11
It is 1958 and abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art; a series of murals for New York's famed Four Seasons Restaurant. Raw and provocative, this 2010 Tony Award-winning play is a searing portrait of the ambition, vulnerability and agony inherent in the art of making art.
Lombardi
at The Mosaic Theatre Until Dec 4
Don't miss this story of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi and his wife Marie. The play takes place mostly in November of 1965, when a young journalist from New York City, Michael McCormick, comes to live with the Lombardi family in order to write a story.
The Mod Musical: SHOUT!
at The Lake Worth Playhouse Until Dec 4
Shout! flips through the years like a musical magazine and takes you back to the music, the fashion and the freedom of the 60's! This smashing revue tracks five groovy gals as they come of age during those liberating days that made England swing! Shout! uses letters to an advice columnist, true confessions, quizzes and advertisements as a frame for terrific new arrangements of such chart-toppin hits as "To Sir With Love," "Downtown," "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," "Son of a Preacher Man," and "Goldfinger."
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
at The Maltz Jupiter Theatre Until Dec 18
This colorful, family-friendly retelling of the story of Joseph, his coat of many colors and his amazing ability to interpret dreams is a musical blockbuster of Biblical proportions! Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s award-winning musical parable features a delightful array of musical styles, from country-western and calypso to bubble-gum pop and rock 'n' roll, entertaining your entire family.
at Broward Stage Door Theatre Until Dec 4
Nathan Detroit, the organizer of the oldest permanent floating crap game, bets Sky Masterson that he can't make the next girl he sees fall in love with him. Featuring “Guys and Dolls”, “Luck Be a Lady Tonight”, and “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat”, this beloved musical is also a great American classic and multiple Tony-Award Winner!
RED by John Logan
at The Gable stage at the Biltmore Until Dec
It is 1958 and abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art; a series of murals for New York's famed Four Seasons Restaurant. Raw and provocative, this 2010 Tony Award-winning play is a searing portrait of the ambition, vulnerability and agony inherent in the art of making art.
Lombardi
at The Mosaic Theatre Until Dec 4
Don't miss this story of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi and his wife Marie. The play takes place mostly in November of 1965, when a young journalist from New York City, Michael McCormick, comes to live with the Lombardi family in order to write a story.
The Mod Musical: SHOUT!
at The Lake Worth Playhouse Until Dec 4
Shout! flips through the years like a musical magazine and takes you back to the music, the fashion and the freedom of the 60's! This smashing revue tracks five groovy gals as they come of age during those liberating days that made England swing! Shout! uses letters to an advice columnist, true confessions, quizzes and advertisements as a frame for terrific new arrangements of such chart-toppin hits as "To Sir With Love," "Downtown," "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," "Son of a Preacher Man," and "Goldfinger."
All My Sons
at The Palm Beach Dramaworks Until Dec 11
This morality play about the cost of lying and the price of truth-telling examines a troubled family and a father who placed duty to his family above the lives of others, and now must face the consequences.at The Palm Beach Dramaworks Until Dec 11
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
at The Maltz Jupiter Theatre Until Dec 18
This colorful, family-friendly retelling of the story of Joseph, his coat of many colors and his amazing ability to interpret dreams is a musical blockbuster of Biblical proportions! Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s award-winning musical parable features a delightful array of musical styles, from country-western and calypso to bubble-gum pop and rock 'n' roll, entertaining your entire family.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Enjoy Cyber Monday Deals From The Broward Center
Find something for everyone on your shopping list! Comedy, Dance, Broadway and Music. 'Tis the season for events and experiences you won’t want to miss!
Enter the promotional code CYBER to buy tickets and save 25%
Click on the CYBER link above to go directly to the deals or visit
the Broward Center's main site here.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre Presents
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Nov 29 – Dec 18
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Nov 29 – Dec 18
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Blog Watch for the week of Nov. 21, 2011
In this weeks batch of blog nuggets is an article about Theatre Being a Matter of Taste, The Best Form of Theatre, and two posts about giving thanks...
Friday, November 25, 2011
The Past Week In Theatre History (Nov. 21-25)
Today In Theatre History: NOVEMBER 21-25
By David Gewirtzman
and Robert Viagas, Steve Luber, Anne Bradley and Sam Maher
1694 Birthday of French author François Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire (1694-1778) whose satirical novel "Candide" served as source material for the 1956 Leonard Bernstein/Lillian Hellman/Dorothy Parker musical.
1849 Birthday of author Frances Hodgeson Burnett (1849-1924), author of several Broadway plays in the first decade of the 20th century, including Little Lord Fauntleroy, The Little Princess, The Pretty Sister of Jose and That Man and I. Her novel The Secret Garden was adapted as a musical in 1991.
1888 Birthday of Adolph Marx, better known as Harpo (1888-1964), silent sibling of the Marx Brothers comedy team, seen on Broadway in I'll Say She Is, Animal Crackers and The Cocoanuts, and a character in the biographical musical Minnie's Boys.
1920 In Rollo's Wild Oat, the title character rents a theatre and hires actors so he can star in Hamlet. Roland Young has the lead in this Clare Kummer play.
1934 With words and music by Cole Porter, Anything Goes opens tonight at the Alvin Theatre. The cast includes Ethel Merman, William Gaxton and Victor Moore in this one year-plus run. The book, about cabaret singer Reno Sweeney and Public Enemy No. 13 chasing around a France-bound ocean liner, is provided by Bolton, Wodehouse, Lindsay and Crouse. Songs include "I Get a Kick Out of You" and "Blow, Gabriel, Blow."
1934 Birthday of actor, lyricist and director Martin Charnin, a late-career collaborator of Richard Rodgers on the musicals Two by Two and I Remember Mama.. His other works will include Annie, Upstairs at O'Neals, Hot Spot and The First. He will begin his career as one of the original Jets in West Side Story.
1937 John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men opens at the Music Box Theater. Wallace Ford and Broderick Crawford star as traveling companions Lenny and George. It will run 207 performances.
1938 Eddie Albert, Ronnie Graham, Teddy Hart, Jimmy Savo and Burl Ives are The Boys From Syracuse. George Abbott adapted the story from Shakepeare's Comedy of Errors. Music and lyrics are supplied by Rodgers and Hart, and George Balanchine provides the choreography.
1940 This week many legitimate theatres begin Sunday performances. In the past, the Winter Garden, the Selwyn and the Century had presented Sunday evening variety shows, but these were special vaudeville programs.
1950 "Luck Be a Lady Tonight" as Frank Loesser's Guys and Dolls opens at the Forty-sixth Street Theatre. George S. Kaufman directs and Michael Kidd choreographs this Abe Burrows, Jo Swerling and Loesser musical based on Damon Runyan's stories. Sam Levene is Nathan Detroit, co-starring with Robert (father of Alan) Alda, Isabel Bigsley, Vivian Blaine and Stubby Kaye. The show gets rave reviews and runs for a total of 1,200 performances.
1965 Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion are living "The Impossible Dream" tonight as their musical, Man of La Mancha, opens tonight at the ANTA Theatre. This pre-Broadway run starred people who would comprise the original Broadway cast including Richard Kiley in the title role. His co-stars included Irving Jacobson, Joan Denier, Ray Middleton and Robert Rounseville. This production will run for 2,238 performances.
1993 In order to get a review from Frank Rich of the New York Times before he leaves, Tony Kushner opens his Angels in America, Part II: Perestroika at the Walter Kerr Theatre tonight. Rich, who is known for raving about the first part of the play, is leaving his post soon, to be succeeded by a reviewer known for not being enthusiastic about the piece. When the review comes out, the play is defined as a "true millennial work of art." Perestroika runs in repertory with Millennium Approaches and runs for 216 performances.
2004 Woody Allen returns to the stage to direct his new play, A Second Hand Memory, about a family of misfits. Off-Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company hosts the premiere, which stars Kate Blumberg, Beth Fowler, Dominic Chianese and Michael McKean.
2005 A film adaptation of the musical Rent opens featuring most of the original Broadway cast.
2006 Betty Comden, 89, the award-winning lyricist and librettist who — with writing partner Adolph Green — created such iconic musicals as Bells Are Ringing, Wonderful Town, The Will Rogers Follies, On the 20th Century and On the Town dies in New York. They also wrote the script to the film Singin' in the Rain.
2008 Opening night for the Broadway stage adaptation of Irving Berlin’s holiday film "White Christmas," about a pair of army buddies who try to help their former commanding officer who has fallen on hard times. Stephen Bogardus, Jeffry Denman, Kerry O'Malley and Meredith Patterson star in the production, staged by Walter Bobbie. The score includes songs from the Bing Crosby film, augmented with other tunes from the Irving Berlin songbook.
2010 Simon Bent's Elling, an odd-couple comedy about two inmates from a mental institution who are given a shot at living on their own, opens on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Directed by Doug Hughes, the cast includes Brendan Fraser, Denis O'Hare, Jennifer Coolidge, Richard Easton and Jeremy Shamos. The production will close the following Sunday, after 9 performances.
More Birthdays: Scott Joplin 1868. Boris Karloff 1887. Erté (nee Remain de Tirtoff) 1892. Benjamin Britten 1913. Will B. Able 1923. Geraldine Page 1924. Jerry Bock 1928. Peter Hall 1930. Marlo Thomas 1937. Tom Conti 1941. Lorna Luft 1942.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of everything that happen this week in theatre history, that post would be WAY longer than this one. To see more check out the blog on Playbill.com in their news feed.
By David Gewirtzman
and Robert Viagas, Steve Luber, Anne Bradley and Sam Maher
1694 Birthday of French author François Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire (1694-1778) whose satirical novel "Candide" served as source material for the 1956 Leonard Bernstein/Lillian Hellman/Dorothy Parker musical.
1849 Birthday of author Frances Hodgeson Burnett (1849-1924), author of several Broadway plays in the first decade of the 20th century, including Little Lord Fauntleroy, The Little Princess, The Pretty Sister of Jose and That Man and I. Her novel The Secret Garden was adapted as a musical in 1991.
1888 Birthday of Adolph Marx, better known as Harpo (1888-1964), silent sibling of the Marx Brothers comedy team, seen on Broadway in I'll Say She Is, Animal Crackers and The Cocoanuts, and a character in the biographical musical Minnie's Boys.
1920 In Rollo's Wild Oat, the title character rents a theatre and hires actors so he can star in Hamlet. Roland Young has the lead in this Clare Kummer play.
1934 With words and music by Cole Porter, Anything Goes opens tonight at the Alvin Theatre. The cast includes Ethel Merman, William Gaxton and Victor Moore in this one year-plus run. The book, about cabaret singer Reno Sweeney and Public Enemy No. 13 chasing around a France-bound ocean liner, is provided by Bolton, Wodehouse, Lindsay and Crouse. Songs include "I Get a Kick Out of You" and "Blow, Gabriel, Blow."
1934 Birthday of actor, lyricist and director Martin Charnin, a late-career collaborator of Richard Rodgers on the musicals Two by Two and I Remember Mama.. His other works will include Annie, Upstairs at O'Neals, Hot Spot and The First. He will begin his career as one of the original Jets in West Side Story.
1937 John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men opens at the Music Box Theater. Wallace Ford and Broderick Crawford star as traveling companions Lenny and George. It will run 207 performances.
1938 Eddie Albert, Ronnie Graham, Teddy Hart, Jimmy Savo and Burl Ives are The Boys From Syracuse. George Abbott adapted the story from Shakepeare's Comedy of Errors. Music and lyrics are supplied by Rodgers and Hart, and George Balanchine provides the choreography.
1940 This week many legitimate theatres begin Sunday performances. In the past, the Winter Garden, the Selwyn and the Century had presented Sunday evening variety shows, but these were special vaudeville programs.
1950 "Luck Be a Lady Tonight" as Frank Loesser's Guys and Dolls opens at the Forty-sixth Street Theatre. George S. Kaufman directs and Michael Kidd choreographs this Abe Burrows, Jo Swerling and Loesser musical based on Damon Runyan's stories. Sam Levene is Nathan Detroit, co-starring with Robert (father of Alan) Alda, Isabel Bigsley, Vivian Blaine and Stubby Kaye. The show gets rave reviews and runs for a total of 1,200 performances.
1965 Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion are living "The Impossible Dream" tonight as their musical, Man of La Mancha, opens tonight at the ANTA Theatre. This pre-Broadway run starred people who would comprise the original Broadway cast including Richard Kiley in the title role. His co-stars included Irving Jacobson, Joan Denier, Ray Middleton and Robert Rounseville. This production will run for 2,238 performances.
1993 In order to get a review from Frank Rich of the New York Times before he leaves, Tony Kushner opens his Angels in America, Part II: Perestroika at the Walter Kerr Theatre tonight. Rich, who is known for raving about the first part of the play, is leaving his post soon, to be succeeded by a reviewer known for not being enthusiastic about the piece. When the review comes out, the play is defined as a "true millennial work of art." Perestroika runs in repertory with Millennium Approaches and runs for 216 performances.
2004 Woody Allen returns to the stage to direct his new play, A Second Hand Memory, about a family of misfits. Off-Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company hosts the premiere, which stars Kate Blumberg, Beth Fowler, Dominic Chianese and Michael McKean.
2005 A film adaptation of the musical Rent opens featuring most of the original Broadway cast.
2006 Betty Comden, 89, the award-winning lyricist and librettist who — with writing partner Adolph Green — created such iconic musicals as Bells Are Ringing, Wonderful Town, The Will Rogers Follies, On the 20th Century and On the Town dies in New York. They also wrote the script to the film Singin' in the Rain.
2008 Opening night for the Broadway stage adaptation of Irving Berlin’s holiday film "White Christmas," about a pair of army buddies who try to help their former commanding officer who has fallen on hard times. Stephen Bogardus, Jeffry Denman, Kerry O'Malley and Meredith Patterson star in the production, staged by Walter Bobbie. The score includes songs from the Bing Crosby film, augmented with other tunes from the Irving Berlin songbook.
2010 Simon Bent's Elling, an odd-couple comedy about two inmates from a mental institution who are given a shot at living on their own, opens on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Directed by Doug Hughes, the cast includes Brendan Fraser, Denis O'Hare, Jennifer Coolidge, Richard Easton and Jeremy Shamos. The production will close the following Sunday, after 9 performances.
More Birthdays: Scott Joplin 1868. Boris Karloff 1887. Erté (nee Remain de Tirtoff) 1892. Benjamin Britten 1913. Will B. Able 1923. Geraldine Page 1924. Jerry Bock 1928. Peter Hall 1930. Marlo Thomas 1937. Tom Conti 1941. Lorna Luft 1942.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of everything that happen this week in theatre history, that post would be WAY longer than this one. To see more check out the blog on Playbill.com in their news feed.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
New show reviews for the week of Nov. 21
For this weeks new reviews please visit Bill Hirschman's Blog Florida Theater On Stage. Or, you could just click on the links to the reviews below.
M Ensemble’s ‘Radio Golf’ Is On-Par Perfect
M Ensemble moved into the performance space last June, and makes good use of the comfortable black-box theater for the first presentation of its 40th anniversary season, August Wilson’s Radio Golf.
Alliance’s Lobby Hero is Compassionate Look at Human Beings Facing Tough Choices
Following the consecutive successes of Brothers Beckett, Fool For Love and ‘night mother, this production of Lobby Hero cements Alliance’s reputation as a company to go out of your way to take a chance on seeing.
Mean Girls Make The Grade In Thinking Cap’s Premiere of Death For Sydney Black
The ambitious Thinking Cap Theatre, now in its second season, breathes life into Leah Nanako Winkler’s absurdist play about the dog-eat-dog world of high school hierarchy in Death for Sydney Black at Fort Lauderdale’s Empire Stage.
M Ensemble’s ‘Radio Golf’ Is On-Par Perfect
M Ensemble moved into the performance space last June, and makes good use of the comfortable black-box theater for the first presentation of its 40th anniversary season, August Wilson’s Radio Golf.
Alliance’s Lobby Hero is Compassionate Look at Human Beings Facing Tough Choices
Following the consecutive successes of Brothers Beckett, Fool For Love and ‘night mother, this production of Lobby Hero cements Alliance’s reputation as a company to go out of your way to take a chance on seeing.
Mean Girls Make The Grade In Thinking Cap’s Premiere of Death For Sydney Black
The ambitious Thinking Cap Theatre, now in its second season, breathes life into Leah Nanako Winkler’s absurdist play about the dog-eat-dog world of high school hierarchy in Death for Sydney Black at Fort Lauderdale’s Empire Stage.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Current Productions for the week of November 21, 2011
Lobby Hero
at The Alliance Theatre Lab Until Nov 27
When Jeff, a luckless young security guard, is drawn into a local murder investigation, loyalties are strained to the breaking point. As Jeff's tightly wound supervisor is called to bear witness against his troubled brother, and an attractive rookie cop finds she must stand up to her seasoned partner, truth becomes elusive and justice proves costly.
Disney's Beauty and the Beast
at The Broward Center for the Performing Arts Until Nov 27
Based on the Academy® Award-winning animated feature film, this eye-popping spectacle has won the hearts of over 35 million people worldwide. Beauty and the Beast is the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity
Death for Sydney Black
at The Thinking Cap Theatre Until Nov 27
Death for Sydney Black represents offoffBroadway-style theatre at its best!! Set at the fictitious Northeast Valley High during cheerleading tryouts and prom season, the play is a biting, quirky, and hilarious response to cult films such as Heathers, Mean Girls, and Bring It On. Girls, guns, gore, and more! Don't miss this world premiere!
Guys and Dolls
at Broward Stage Door Theatre Until Dec 4
Nathan Detroit, the organizer of the oldest permanent floating crap game, bets Sky Masterson that he can't make the next girl he sees fall in love with him. Featuring “Guys and Dolls”, “Luck Be a Lady Tonight”, and “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat”, this beloved musical is also a great American classic and multiple Tony-Award Winner!
RED by John Logan
at The Gable stage at the Biltmore Until Dec 4
It is 1958 and abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art; a series of murals for New York's famed Four Seasons Restaurant. Raw and provocative, this 2010 Tony Award-winning play is a searing portrait of the ambition, vulnerability and agony inherent in the art of making art.
Lombardi
at The Mosaic Theatre Until Dec 4
Don't miss this story of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi and his wife Marie. The play takes place mostly in November of 1965, when a young journalist from New York City, Michael McCormick, comes to live with the Lombardi family in order to write a story.
The Mod Musical: SHOUT!
at The Lake Worth Playhouse Until Dec 4
Shout! flips through the years like a musical magazine and takes you back to the music, the fashion and the freedom of the 60's! This smashing revue tracks five groovy gals as they come of age during those liberating days that made England swing! Shout! uses letters to an advice columnist, true confessions, quizzes and advertisements as a frame for terrific new arrangements of such chart-toppin hits as "To Sir With Love," "Downtown," "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," "Son of a Preacher Man," and "Goldfinger."
This morality play about the cost of lying and the price of truth-telling examines a troubled family and a father who placed duty to his family above the lives of others, and now must face the consequences.
at The Alliance Theatre Lab Until Nov 27
When Jeff, a luckless young security guard, is drawn into a local murder investigation, loyalties are strained to the breaking point. As Jeff's tightly wound supervisor is called to bear witness against his troubled brother, and an attractive rookie cop finds she must stand up to her seasoned partner, truth becomes elusive and justice proves costly.
Disney's Beauty and the Beast
at The Broward Center for the Performing Arts Until Nov 27
Based on the Academy® Award-winning animated feature film, this eye-popping spectacle has won the hearts of over 35 million people worldwide. Beauty and the Beast is the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity
Death for Sydney Black
at The Thinking Cap Theatre Until Nov 27
Death for Sydney Black represents offoffBroadway-style theatre at its best!! Set at the fictitious Northeast Valley High during cheerleading tryouts and prom season, the play is a biting, quirky, and hilarious response to cult films such as Heathers, Mean Girls, and Bring It On. Girls, guns, gore, and more! Don't miss this world premiere!
Guys and Dolls
at Broward Stage Door Theatre Until Dec 4
Nathan Detroit, the organizer of the oldest permanent floating crap game, bets Sky Masterson that he can't make the next girl he sees fall in love with him. Featuring “Guys and Dolls”, “Luck Be a Lady Tonight”, and “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat”, this beloved musical is also a great American classic and multiple Tony-Award Winner!
RED by John Logan
at The Gable stage at the Biltmore Until Dec 4
It is 1958 and abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art; a series of murals for New York's famed Four Seasons Restaurant. Raw and provocative, this 2010 Tony Award-winning play is a searing portrait of the ambition, vulnerability and agony inherent in the art of making art.
Lombardi
at The Mosaic Theatre Until Dec 4
Don't miss this story of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi and his wife Marie. The play takes place mostly in November of 1965, when a young journalist from New York City, Michael McCormick, comes to live with the Lombardi family in order to write a story.
The Mod Musical: SHOUT!
at The Lake Worth Playhouse Until Dec 4
Shout! flips through the years like a musical magazine and takes you back to the music, the fashion and the freedom of the 60's! This smashing revue tracks five groovy gals as they come of age during those liberating days that made England swing! Shout! uses letters to an advice columnist, true confessions, quizzes and advertisements as a frame for terrific new arrangements of such chart-toppin hits as "To Sir With Love," "Downtown," "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," "Son of a Preacher Man," and "Goldfinger."
This morality play about the cost of lying and the price of truth-telling examines a troubled family and a father who placed duty to his family above the lives of others, and now must face the consequences.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Blog Watch for the week of Nov. 14, 2011
In this weeks batch of blog nuggets is an article about Theatre Longevity, Audience Engagement, "I Am An Actor" by Nan Barnett, and an (wait this can't be right) an iPhone game???
The Past Week In Theatre History (Nov. 14-18)
This week in Theatre History: NOVEMBER 14-18
Gathered for Playbill.com by: David Gewirtzman, Robert Viagas, Sam Maher, Steve Luber and Anne Bradley
1836 Birthday of satirist William S. Gilbert, later to achieve immortality as the lyricist half of the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta-writing team that produced The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore and other staples of the genre.
1875 British comic operetta titans Gilbert & Sullivan make their U.S. debut today with Trial by Jury at the Eagle Variety Theatre, where it runs 8 performances.
1889 Playwright and director George S. Kaufman (1889-1961) is born (11/16) in Pittsburgh. He will win the Pulitzer Prize twice, for his work on Of Thee I Sing and You Can't Take It With You, and will win his only Tony Award for directing the original Guys and Dolls. His plays include The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers (both for the Marx Brothers), The Royal Family, Once in a Lifetime, Dinner at Eight, Merrily We Roll Along and The Man Who Came to Dinner.
1901 Birthday of actor/director/producer/teacher/acting coach Lee Strasberg (1901-1982) in Austria-Hungary. As a founder of the Group Theatre and Artistic Director of the Actors Studio, he will serve as the godfather of the "Method" acting style, and influence actors in the second half of the 20th century.
1908 Birth of actor Burgess Meredith (1908-1997), whose long Broadway career included original productions of Liliom, High Tor, Winterset, The Barretts of Wimpole Street and The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker. He created two memorable screen roles as well: the umbrella-wielding villain The Penguin in TV's "Batman," and the hard-bitten boxing coach who literally eggs Sylvester Stallone on to glory in Rocky.
1921 In addition to his popular Follies, Florenz Ziegfeld opens the somewhat naughtier Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic at the New Amsterdam Roof Theatre, which he rechristens the Danse de Follies. It stars Leon Erroll, Will Rogers and the dance team of Carlos and Inez.
1932 Elia Kazan makes his Broadway debut in Chrysalis, a short-lived drama with Humphrey Bogart and Maragaret Sullavan at the Martin Beck Theatre. As a director and advocate of the Method acting technique, Kazan will stage several landmark Broadway plays of the midcentury, including A Streetcar Named Desire and Death of a Salesman.
1933 Bob Hope has his first featured role on Broadway as the wise-cracking Huckleberry Haines in Jerome Kern's Roberta, also starring Lyda Roberti, Fay Templeton, Tamara, George Murphy and Sydney Greenstreet.
1942 An ice age, a hurricane and the possible end of the world are visited upon the Antrobus family of New Jersey in The Skin of Our Teeth, Thornton Wilder's surreal parable about the survival of man against all odds. The opening night cast features Fredric March, Florence Eldridge and Tallulah Bankhead. The show will win the Pulitzer Prize and run 359 performances.
1954 Lionel Barrymore dies at age 76. He made his stage debut at the age of fifteen. His film career ranged from "Grand Hotel", "Treasure Island", a series of Dr. Kildare films and the perennial "It's a Wonderful Life." He also published an autobiography, titled "We Barrymores."
1956 Dogpatch comes to life as Li'l Abner is staged at the St. James Theatre. Melvin Frank and Norman Panama adapted the Al Capp comic-strip, with songs by Johnny Mercer and Gene dePaul. The cast includes Tina Louise and Stubby Kaye dancing to Michael Kidd choreography.
1959 The Sound of Music tonight opens at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre. Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel star in this Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, with book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story follows the Von Trapp family and the appearance of their new governess, who helps the family gain courage in a time of insurmountable challenges. The show will run a whopping 1,443 performances and include the classics "Do-Re-Mi," "My Favorite Things" and "Edelweiss." This original production ties for the 1960 Best Musical Tony Award with Fiorello!
1962 Sid Caesar stars in Little Me, a parody of an ambitious poor girl's memoirs by Patrick Dennis, adapted for the stage by Neil Simon, songs by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, choreography by Bob Fosse. The show runs 257 performances. The Roundabout Theatre revives Little Me in 1998 with Martin Short and Faith Prince in featured roles.
1971 Just a year after they worked together on Company, playwright George Furth and director Michael Bennett team up for Twigs, a program of one-act plays featuring Sada Thompson. It opens at the Broadhurst Theatre and runs 289 performances, winning Thompson a 1972 Tony Award as Best Actress in a Play.
1989 The military courtroom drama A Few Good Men by Aaron Sorkin opens tonight at the Music Box Theatre. The cast is headed by Tom Hulce, known for his roles in the 1984 film "Amadeus" and 1990's "Parenthood." The show will be made into a movie in 1992 after its 497-performance run on Broadway. The show catapults the writing career of Sorkin, who later creates the TV series "The West Wing."
1991 The wide-eyed, blue-faced madness begins tonight as The Blue Man Group: Tubes opens tonight at the Astor Place Theatre. The show features stunts, comic skits, and loud music of the Blue Man's own creation. Described by Variety as "Mummenschanz on acid," the show draws wide acclaim and sold-out audiences. Now with shows going on in Boston, Chicago and Las Vegas, they are still going strong on Astor Place.
1993 Robert Schenkkan's The Kentucky Cycle, three plays tracing the place of Kentucky in American history opens at the Royale Theatre. One of the few plays to win the Pulitzer Prize before it opened in New York, audiences in New York did not take to it. Despite the presence of Stacy Keach in major roles, it closes after just 33 performances.
1994 Calista Flockhart wins a Theatre World Award for her performance as Laura in Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of The Glass Menagerie. She is quickly snapped up by TV, eventually landing the title role in the "Ally McBeal" TV series.
1994 Glenn Close gets rave reviews in Sunset Boulevard, the new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical opening tonight at the Minskoff Theatre. She plays the forgotten movie star Norma Desmond as she lives her later life. The show will close in 1997 after 977 performances, owing to the expense of running the show and a lack of performers who can handle the demands of the role of Norma Desmond.
1996 The spirit of Bob Fosse infuses a bare-bones revival of Kander & Ebb's Chicago that would become the runaway smash of the season. Director Walter Bobbie, choreographer Ann Reinking staging the show "in the style of Bob Fosse," and actors James Naughton and Bebe Neuwirth, all took home Tonys, as did the show itself. By fall 2003, the show had hit the 2,900-performance mark and a film adaptation won the 2003 Oscar for Best Picture.
1999 Broadway brushed up its Shakespeare tonight, as Kiss Me Kate opened for the first time since 1965. It starred Marin Mazzie and budding actor Brian Stokes Mitchell as the famous leading duo and runs to this day, racking up over 800 performances since.
2000 The Rocky Horror Show, Richard O'Brien's camp science-fiction/horror/musical, gets a Broadway revival starring Daphne Rubin-Vega, Lea DeLaria, Alice Ripley, rock star Joan Jett, and, as the Narrator, onetime talk show host Dick Cavett. It runs 437 performances at the Circle in the Square Theatre. The British import was a 45-performance flop in its original 1975 production, but a movie adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show attracted a devoted cult. In accord with that, audiences for the Broadway revival are issued sacks with newspapers (to use as rain hats) and rice (to throw in the wedding scene), along with other wacky interactive goodies.
2002 "I want to hear a poem," 1999 Fresh Poet of the Year Steve Colman says as Russell Simmon's Def Poetry Jam opens on Broadway, featuring the contemporary urban slam-style poetry pioneered on his HBO show of the same name. The production will run 198 performances at the Longacre Theatre, and win the 2003 Tony Award as Best Special Theatrical Event.
2002 Mark Linn-Baker and Jay Goede pla the title roles in the children's musical, A Year With Frog and Toad, opening today at the New Victory Theare in Times Square. The unlikely hit will go over so well that it will move to Broadway and be nominated for a Tony Award as Best Musical in 2003.
2003 Dorothy Loudon, who created one of the more indelible portraits in musical comedy history with her tony-winning portrayal of the orphan-hating Miss Hannigan in the original Annie, dies on Nov. 14 at age 70. Other credits included starring in the original Broadway production of Noises Off as Dotty Otley/Mrs. Clackett in 1983. Both roles would be portraed by Carol Burnett in the film adaptations of the two shows.
2004 Cy Coleman falls ill at the cast party for Democracy and is rushed to the hospital where he dies of a heart attack at age 75. Coleman won Best Score Tony Awards for his work on The Will Roges Follies, City of Angels and On the 20th Century. His other scores include Sweet Charity, The Life, Seesaw, Little Me, Wildcat and Barnum.
2005 Maria Friedman recreates her London performance in the leading role of the gothic musical The Woman in White, with a score by Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Zippel. The groundbreaking computerized set projections are by William Dudley. The show will run 109 performances at the Marquis Theatre.
2006 The Broadway revival of Chicago celebrates its tenth anniversary with a special benefit performance that brings together some three dozen stars who appeared in the show over the years, playing each scene with multiple actors.
More Birthdays: The Fairbanks Twins (Madeleine and Marion) 1900. Imogene Coca 1908. Johnny Mercer 1909. Edward Asner 1929. Petula Clark 1932. Peter Cook 1937. Sam Waterston 1940. Elizabeth Perkins 1960.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of everything that happen this week in theatre history, that post would be WAY longer than this one. To see more check out the blog on Playbill.com in their news feed.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Review of "Death of Sydney Black"
Phillip Valys reviewed Leah Nanako Winkler's "Death of Syney Black", presented by Thinking Cap Theatre, for the Sun-Sentinel.
New show reviews for the week of Nov. 14
Bill Hirschman reviewed Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" being performed at The Broward Center For The Performing Arts for Florida Theater On Stage.
Camille Lamb reviewed The Alliance Theatre Lab's production of Kenneth Lonergan's "Lobby Hero" for the Miami Culture Blog: The Cultist.
Christine Dolen reviewed The M Ensemble's production of August Wilson's "Radio Golf" for The Miami Herald.
Richard J. Simon and the Mosaic Theatre presents "Lombardi" staring Ray Abruzzo.
Roger Martin has reviewed the production for Miami ArtZine.
J. Barry Lewis and the Palm Beach DramaWorks presents Arthur Miller's "All My Sons".
Christine Dolen has reviewed the production for The Miami Herald.
Genie Croft and The Boca Raton Theatre Guild presents Charles Busch's "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife".
Rod Stafford Hagwood has reviewed for the production for Sun-Sentinel.
Dan Kelly and The Stage Door Theatre (Broward) presents "Guys and Dolls".
J.W. Arnold has reviewed the production for South Florida Gay News.
"...this refurbished and re-imagined production has rediscovered some of the loveliness and magic that the road has worn off..."
Camille Lamb reviewed The Alliance Theatre Lab's production of Kenneth Lonergan's "Lobby Hero" for the Miami Culture Blog: The Cultist.
"..the script's shades of gray are painted with a capable hand, with some exceptions."
Christine Dolen reviewed The M Ensemble's production of August Wilson's "Radio Golf" for The Miami Herald.
"Radio Golf isn’t Wilson’s finest play; but seeing a great playwright’s final work, with its themes and links to his other plays, serves as a reminder of Wilson’s wondrous achievement. "
Richard J. Simon and the Mosaic Theatre presents "Lombardi" staring Ray Abruzzo.
Roger Martin has reviewed the production for Miami ArtZine.
"There's a thinness to the story, no surprises, a life led and then it's over."John Thomason has reviewed the prodution for The Broward/Palm Beach New Times.
"A 'Sopranos' Star Revives a Paragon of Pigskin."Christine Dolen has reviewed the Production for The Miami Herald.
"Mosaic Theatre brings a winning form to a drama that isn’t quite playoff caliber."
J. Barry Lewis and the Palm Beach DramaWorks presents Arthur Miller's "All My Sons".
Christine Dolen has reviewed the production for The Miami Herald.
"Dramaworks stages a tour de force."Mary Damiano has reviewed the production for Florida Theater On Stage.
"..the new space has allowed Palm Beach Dramaworks to amp up the quality work they’ve always done, resulting in a production that should keep the house full every performance.."
Genie Croft and The Boca Raton Theatre Guild presents Charles Busch's "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife".
Rod Stafford Hagwood has reviewed for the production for Sun-Sentinel.
"...the play just can't wrench itself away from a strong sitcom feel."Mary Damiano has reviewed the production for Florida Theater On Stage.
"...a handsome production by the Boca Raton Theatre Guild."
Dan Kelly and The Stage Door Theatre (Broward) presents "Guys and Dolls".
J.W. Arnold has reviewed the production for South Florida Gay News.
"Despite the reliance on canned tracks, this production consistently delivers with even musical performances all around."Bill Hirschman has reviewed the production for Florida Theater On Stage.
"..Broward Stage Door misfires.."Rod Stafford Hagwood has reviewed the production for Sun-Sentinel.
"..heavy on the visuals, light on the charm..", but still a safe bet.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
News from last week in case you missed it.
Manuel Carbonell, the man who re-designed the award that honors the best of local theater every year and whom that award is named after died last Thursday at the age of 93. Christine Dolen wrote a wonderful obituary for the man on her blog, The Drama Queen and then expanded upon it for the readership of the Miami Herald.
Monday, November 14, 2011
The Mod Musical: SHOUT!
The Lake Worth Playhouse Presents
The Mod Musical: SHOUT!
Co-Creators: Phillip George and David Lowenstein
Nov 17 – Dec 4
The Mod Musical: SHOUT!
Co-Creators: Phillip George and David Lowenstein
Nov 17 – Dec 4
Only 3 more chances to get THRILLED and get $5 off the ticket price
You only have one more week to see the South Florida premiere of THRILL ME and get $5 off the admission price when you use the promotional code BLOG at checkout from the Rising Action Theatre Website Box Office. . THRILL ME is the true story of Leopold and Loeb, the so-called thrill killers, who murdered a young boy in 1924 in order to try and commit the perfect crime. Critics have been raving about and (Dare I say it.) THRILLED (Yes, I went there!) with this production.
Michelle Solomon, wrote: "The intimate space provides yet another layer of drama for Rising Action Theatre’s taut productionas. Bryan C. Ortega, as the arrogant and confident Richard Loeb, plays the character true to its writing as a Nietzsche-worshiping “superior being.” Christopher Michaels, as Leopold, inhabits his character, giving a strong performance, both dramatically and vocally. This is the more demanding role of the two as the script calls for his character to frequently change moods. Thrill Me isn’t an easy undertaking, but the verdict is more than clear; Rising Action Theater’s production is must-see thrilling.
And Christine Dolen wrote: Thrill Me explores myriad facets of ugliness in what becomes a killer relationship. (Bryan) Ortega and Christopher Michaels sing well, individually and together, as they bring their characters to creepy fruition. (Bryan) Ortega is particularly chilling as he sings Roadster, smiling and improvising as he entices the unseen Bobby into the car where death awaits. The production values are simple yet moodily effective, the piano so much better than recorded music, and the small-scale musical just right for the space.
And Christine Dolen wrote: Thrill Me explores myriad facets of ugliness in what becomes a killer relationship. (Bryan) Ortega and Christopher Michaels sing well, individually and together, as they bring their characters to creepy fruition. (Bryan) Ortega is particularly chilling as he sings Roadster, smiling and improvising as he entices the unseen Bobby into the car where death awaits. The production values are simple yet moodily effective, the piano so much better than recorded music, and the small-scale musical just right for the space.
Come by and see the show during this last week and say hello to the sound guy running the show, for he shall be me.
Current Productions for the week of November 14, 2011
54 Forever at The Jerry Herman Ring Theatre
on the University of Miami campus Until Nov 19
Once upon a time in New York City, there was a magical disco that everyone clamored to get into. Passing through Studio 54’s velvet ropes were the world’s most famous stars, politicians, and athletes — the glitterati of the 1980s. The Jerry Herman Ring Theatre is presenting the first production of Tommy Tune’s exciting and glamorous musical portrait of the world’s most famous nightclub. South Florida theatre audiences are the first to experience this exciting new musical.
Thrill Me - The Leopold and Lobe Musical
at Rising Action Theatre Until Nov 20
The South Florida premiere of the acclaimed musical based on the true story of Leopold and Loeb, the so-called thrill killers who murdered a young boy in 1924 in order to commit the perfect crime. While this crime was previously depicted in the film dramas Hitchcock's Rope and Compulsion, this is the first musical version, and the most frank in revealing the couple's mutual sexual attraction.
After The Revolution
at The Caldwell Theatre Company Until Nov 20
After the Revolution is the story of the brilliant, promising Emma Joseph who proudly carries the torch of her family's Marxist tradition, devoting her life to the memory of her grandfather, much revered for refusing to “name names” during the McCarthy hearings. But when history reveals a shocking truth about the man himself, the entire family is forced to confront questions of honesty and allegiance they thought had been resolved.
Captiva
at Zoetic Stage Until Nov 20
Over the course of a weekend reunion, three siblings come together in the hopes of celebration and re-connection.When their parents join them, rivalry, sex and a hurricane turn the family upside down. Stranded together, they are forced to face each other with honesty and bottles of wine. Captiva is a smart and stinging contemporary comedy about family, fear and the future.
The Tale Of The Alergist Wife
at The Boca Raton Theatre Guild Until Nov 20
Marjorie Taub: shopaholic, avid reader, loved by her devoted husband...but her beloved psychiatrist has just died, her mother obsesses about her gastric tract and her husband is now retired and devoted to sinus infections for the homeless. After a breakdown in the Disney store...what is Marjorie to do? Enter her friend from the past, Lee Greene...who has a few secrets of her own!
Lobby Hero
at The Alliance Theatre Lab Until Nov 27
When Jeff, a luckless young security guard, is drawn into a local murder investigation, loyalties are strained to the breaking point. As Jeff's tightly wound supervisor is called to bear witness against his troubled brother, and an attractive rookie cop finds she must stand up to her seasoned partner, truth becomes elusive and justice proves costly.
Disney's Beauty and the Beast
at The Broward Center for the Performing Arts Until Nov 27
Based on the Academy® Award-winning animated feature film, this eye-popping spectacle has won the hearts of over 35 million people worldwide. Beauty and the Beast is the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity
Death for Sydney Black
at The Thinking Cap Theatre Until Nov 27
Death for Sydney Black represents offoffBroadway-style theatre at its best!! Set at the fictitious Northeast Valley High during cheerleading tryouts and prom season, the play is a biting, quirky, and hilarious response to cult films such as Heathers, Mean Girls, and Bring It On. Girls, guns, gore, and more! Don't miss this world premiere!
Radio Golf
at The M Ensemble Until Nov 27
RADIO GOLF, the final play in August Wilson's unprecedented 10-play cycle chronicling African-American life in the 20th century, is a fast-paced, dynamic and wonderfully funny work about the world today and the dreams we have for the future. Set in Pittsburgh in the late 1990's, it's the story of a successful entrepreneur who aspires to become the city's first black mayor. But when the past begins to catch up with him, secrets get revealed that could be his undoing.
Guys and Dolls
at Broward Stage Door Theatre Until Dec 4
Nathan Detroit, the organizer of the oldest permanent floating crap game, bets Sky Masterson that he can't make the next girl he sees fall in love with him. Featuring “Guys and Dolls”, “Luck Be a Lady Tonight”, and “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat”, this beloved musical is also a great American classic and multiple Tony-Award Winner!
RED by John Logan
at The Gable stage at the Biltmore Until Dec 4
It is 1958 and abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art; a series of murals for New York's famed Four Seasons Restaurant. Raw and provocative, this 2010 Tony Award-winning play is a searing portrait of the ambition, vulnerability and agony inherent in the art of making art.
Lombardi
at The Mosaic Theatre Until Dec 4
Don't miss this story of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi and his wife Marie. The play takes place mostly in November of 1965, when a young journalist from New York City, Michael McCormick, comes to live with the Lombardi family in order to write a story.
All My Sons
at The Palm Beach Dramaworks Until Dec 11
This morality play about the cost of lying and the price of truth-telling examines a troubled family and a father who placed duty to his family above the lives of others, and now must face the consequences.
on the University of Miami campus Until Nov 19
Once upon a time in New York City, there was a magical disco that everyone clamored to get into. Passing through Studio 54’s velvet ropes were the world’s most famous stars, politicians, and athletes — the glitterati of the 1980s. The Jerry Herman Ring Theatre is presenting the first production of Tommy Tune’s exciting and glamorous musical portrait of the world’s most famous nightclub. South Florida theatre audiences are the first to experience this exciting new musical.
Thrill Me - The Leopold and Lobe Musical
at Rising Action Theatre Until Nov 20
The South Florida premiere of the acclaimed musical based on the true story of Leopold and Loeb, the so-called thrill killers who murdered a young boy in 1924 in order to commit the perfect crime. While this crime was previously depicted in the film dramas Hitchcock's Rope and Compulsion, this is the first musical version, and the most frank in revealing the couple's mutual sexual attraction.
After The Revolution
at The Caldwell Theatre Company Until Nov 20
After the Revolution is the story of the brilliant, promising Emma Joseph who proudly carries the torch of her family's Marxist tradition, devoting her life to the memory of her grandfather, much revered for refusing to “name names” during the McCarthy hearings. But when history reveals a shocking truth about the man himself, the entire family is forced to confront questions of honesty and allegiance they thought had been resolved.
Captiva
at Zoetic Stage Until Nov 20
Over the course of a weekend reunion, three siblings come together in the hopes of celebration and re-connection.When their parents join them, rivalry, sex and a hurricane turn the family upside down. Stranded together, they are forced to face each other with honesty and bottles of wine. Captiva is a smart and stinging contemporary comedy about family, fear and the future.
The Tale Of The Alergist Wife
at The Boca Raton Theatre Guild Until Nov 20
Marjorie Taub: shopaholic, avid reader, loved by her devoted husband...but her beloved psychiatrist has just died, her mother obsesses about her gastric tract and her husband is now retired and devoted to sinus infections for the homeless. After a breakdown in the Disney store...what is Marjorie to do? Enter her friend from the past, Lee Greene...who has a few secrets of her own!
Lobby Hero
at The Alliance Theatre Lab Until Nov 27
When Jeff, a luckless young security guard, is drawn into a local murder investigation, loyalties are strained to the breaking point. As Jeff's tightly wound supervisor is called to bear witness against his troubled brother, and an attractive rookie cop finds she must stand up to her seasoned partner, truth becomes elusive and justice proves costly.
Disney's Beauty and the Beast
at The Broward Center for the Performing Arts Until Nov 27
Based on the Academy® Award-winning animated feature film, this eye-popping spectacle has won the hearts of over 35 million people worldwide. Beauty and the Beast is the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity
Death for Sydney Black
at The Thinking Cap Theatre Until Nov 27
Death for Sydney Black represents offoffBroadway-style theatre at its best!! Set at the fictitious Northeast Valley High during cheerleading tryouts and prom season, the play is a biting, quirky, and hilarious response to cult films such as Heathers, Mean Girls, and Bring It On. Girls, guns, gore, and more! Don't miss this world premiere!
Radio Golf
at The M Ensemble Until Nov 27
RADIO GOLF, the final play in August Wilson's unprecedented 10-play cycle chronicling African-American life in the 20th century, is a fast-paced, dynamic and wonderfully funny work about the world today and the dreams we have for the future. Set in Pittsburgh in the late 1990's, it's the story of a successful entrepreneur who aspires to become the city's first black mayor. But when the past begins to catch up with him, secrets get revealed that could be his undoing.
Guys and Dolls
at Broward Stage Door Theatre Until Dec 4
Nathan Detroit, the organizer of the oldest permanent floating crap game, bets Sky Masterson that he can't make the next girl he sees fall in love with him. Featuring “Guys and Dolls”, “Luck Be a Lady Tonight”, and “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat”, this beloved musical is also a great American classic and multiple Tony-Award Winner!
RED by John Logan
at The Gable stage at the Biltmore Until Dec 4
It is 1958 and abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art; a series of murals for New York's famed Four Seasons Restaurant. Raw and provocative, this 2010 Tony Award-winning play is a searing portrait of the ambition, vulnerability and agony inherent in the art of making art.
Lombardi
at The Mosaic Theatre Until Dec 4
Don't miss this story of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi and his wife Marie. The play takes place mostly in November of 1965, when a young journalist from New York City, Michael McCormick, comes to live with the Lombardi family in order to write a story.
All My Sons
at The Palm Beach Dramaworks Until Dec 11
This morality play about the cost of lying and the price of truth-telling examines a troubled family and a father who placed duty to his family above the lives of others, and now must face the consequences.
The South Florida Theatre News Is Here
- Mondays: A list of current productions and posts for each new show opening that week. If a show begins on an odd day, say Tuesday, then it will be posted earlier to give you time to plan for it.
- Wednesday or Thursday: A list, with links, of the new reviews that of been posted online.
- Friday: Blog Watch - A list of what I feel are the most interesting or note worthy posts from the past week of blogs, both locally and nationally, that I follow. Among this will be a "This week in Theater" post.
- In addition: I would like to ask any theatre with auditions coming up to e-mail them to me at sfltnews@gmail.com. For now I will post them as I get them. If they start coming in regularly, I will try and pick a day that they all will post. I would like this blog to become a place where theatre patrons and professionals can come to get information and in the future gather together online.
Thank you!
David W. Hart
South Florida Theatre News
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Auditions for "Top Gun!: The Musical"
Anagram Entertainment is pleased to announce AUDITIONS of the upcoming South Florida premiere of...TOP GUN! The Musical.
book and lyrics by Denis McGrath
music by Scott White
Rehearsals begin in December, Run starts February 3rd, 2012
Auditions are Saturday November 12th and Sunday November 13th. At Empire Stage.
Auditions are by Appointment only
The following roles are available:
CHARLIE (Soprano 20s-30s) - Sexy and bitchy with a flair for comedy and comfortable with an upper register
BILLY (Tenor 30s) - Former boy wonder who is losing touch
ICEMAN (Baritone 20s-30s) - Hot,sexy and butch with the occasional flamboyant moment
The GENERAL (Baritone 50s-60s) Former military General who now invests in musical comedies
Non-Equity, Paid
To Schedule an appointment or for more information call 954-871-0168
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
17 SILVER PALMS TO BE AWARDED FOR THEATRICAL EXCELLENCE IN 2011
November 8, 2011
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL -- The Silver Palm Awards committee – founded four years ago to honor theatrical excellence in South Florida – hasannounced that this year it will present the coveted award to 17 individuals, including two for direction of plays, two for playwriting and one for creating a memorable fighting sequence. Also among the honorees is Mosaic Theatre for its ensemble work in the 2011 production of The Irish Curse.
"The Silver Palm Awards are presented annually to those who've made an outstanding or unique contribution to the South Florida Theatre season," explained Silver Palm Awards Chairman Tony Finstrom. "There are no nominees, no winners or losers, and no limit to the number of citations given in any 'category,' though there really are no official categories."
Finstrom (a (playwright), TV personality Iris Acker and Press Club President Ron Levitt compose the Silver Palm committee, which receives recommendations from South Florida journalists and theatre critics before the final list of recipients is presented.
This year's Silver Palm Advisory Council consisted of Christine Dolen (Miami Herald), Bill Hirschman (FloridaTheaterOnStage.com), Hap Erstein(Palm Beach Post & Palm Beach ArtsPaper), John Lariviere(TalkingBroadway.com), J.W. Arnold (South Florida Gay News), Mary Damiano (FloridaTheaterOnStage.com & South Florida Gay News), and Roger Martin (MiamiArtzine.com).
Silver Palms have gone to some 45 individuals and/or groups during the previous three theatre seasons.
The awards presentation will, this year, be held at the annual Theatre League holiday party on Monday, Dec. 5th, at the Bimini Boatyard in Fort Lauderdale. The party is scheduled from 7:30 to 10:00 PM. The party is open to the public, but there is a $25 admission charge. Theatre League members attend free of charge. Call League Executive Director Andie Arthur for reservations – 954-557-0778.
2010-2011 Silver Palm Award recipients are:
SFTN congratulates all the honorees!
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL -- The Silver Palm Awards committee – founded four years ago to honor theatrical excellence in South Florida – hasannounced that this year it will present the coveted award to 17 individuals, including two for direction of plays, two for playwriting and one for creating a memorable fighting sequence. Also among the honorees is Mosaic Theatre for its ensemble work in the 2011 production of The Irish Curse.
"The Silver Palm Awards are presented annually to those who've made an outstanding or unique contribution to the South Florida Theatre season," explained Silver Palm Awards Chairman Tony Finstrom. "There are no nominees, no winners or losers, and no limit to the number of citations given in any 'category,' though there really are no official categories."
Finstrom (a (playwright), TV personality Iris Acker and Press Club President Ron Levitt compose the Silver Palm committee, which receives recommendations from South Florida journalists and theatre critics before the final list of recipients is presented.
This year's Silver Palm Advisory Council consisted of Christine Dolen (Miami Herald), Bill Hirschman (FloridaTheaterOnStage.com), Hap Erstein(Palm Beach Post & Palm Beach ArtsPaper), John Lariviere(TalkingBroadway.com), J.W. Arnold (South Florida Gay News), Mary Damiano (FloridaTheaterOnStage.com & South Florida Gay News), and Roger Martin (MiamiArtzine.com).
Silver Palms have gone to some 45 individuals and/or groups during the previous three theatre seasons.
The awards presentation will, this year, be held at the annual Theatre League holiday party on Monday, Dec. 5th, at the Bimini Boatyard in Fort Lauderdale. The party is scheduled from 7:30 to 10:00 PM. The party is open to the public, but there is a $25 admission charge. Theatre League members attend free of charge. Call League Executive Director Andie Arthur for reservations – 954-557-0778.
2010-2011 Silver Palm Award recipients are:
- Tim Bennett - Outstanding Set Design, for STUFF at Caldwell Theatre
- Clay Cartland - Outstanding New Talent, for his performance in SONG OF THE LIVING DEAD at The Promethean Theatre
- Marckenson Charles - for his Outstanding Performances in SUPERIOR DONUTS at GableStage, in A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE at GableStage, and in STUFF at Caldwell Theatre
- David Cohen - Outstanding Musical Tracks, at Broward Stage Door
- Dennis Creaghan - for his Outstanding Performances in A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE at GableStage, in FREUD'S LAST SESSION at Palm Beach Dramaworks, and in AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY at Actors' Playhouse
- Renata Eastlick - Outstanding New Talent, for her performances in KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN at Slow Burn Theatre Company, and ECLIPSED at Women's Theatre Project
- Elvire Emanuelle - Outstanding New Talent, for her performance in ECLIPSED at Women's Theatre Project
- Jeffrey D. Holmes - Outstanding Direction, for THE PILLOWMAN at Infinite Abyss
- Paul Homza - Outstanding Fight choreography, for SUPERIOR DONUTS at GableStage
- Michael Leeds - Outstanding Direction, for THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA at Broward Stage Door
- Sean McClelland - Outstanding Set Design, for AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY at Actors' Playhouse
- Michael McKeever - Playwright, for his Outstanding New Work STUFF at Caldwell Theatre, and for his Outstanding New Work SOUTH BEACH BABYLON at Zoetic Stage
- THE IRISH CURSE - Outstanding Ensemble of Actors at Mosaic Theatre -- (trophy goes to the producer, Richard Jay Simon), cast: Ken Clement, Ryan Didato, Todd Allen Durkin, Shane R. Tanner and Barry Tarallo, directed by Avi Hoffman
- Deborah L. Sherman - for her Outstanding Performances in GOLDIE, MAX & MILK at Florida Stage, in NO EXIT at Naked Stage, and in THREE DAYS OF RAIN at The Promethean Theatre
- David Michael Sirois - Playwright, for his Outstanding New Work THE BROTHERS BECKETT at Alliance Theatre Lab
- Slow Burn Theatre Company, Boca Raton - Outstanding New Emerging Theatre Company
- Karen Stephens - for her Outstanding Performances in BRIDGE & TUNNEL at Women's Theatre Project, in ECLIPSED at Women's Theatre Project, and in CLYBOURNE PARK at Caldwell Theatre
SFTN congratulates all the honorees!
The Red Thread
The PlayGround Theatre Presents
The Red Thread
Book by Stephanie Ansin and Fernando Calzadilla
Nov 9 – Dec 18
The Red Thread
Book by Stephanie Ansin and Fernando Calzadilla
Nov 9 – Dec 18
Monday, November 7, 2011
54 Forever
The Jerry Herman Ring Theatre
on the University of Miami campus Presents
54 Forever
Concieved by Tommy Tune
Written By Mark Saltzman
Nov 9 - Nov 19
on the University of Miami campus Presents
54 Forever
Concieved by Tommy Tune
Written By Mark Saltzman
Nov 9 - Nov 19
Death for Sydney Black
The Thinking Cap Theatre Presents
Death for Sydney Black
Book by Leah Nanako Winkler
Nov 10 – Nov 27
Death for Sydney Black
Book by Leah Nanako Winkler
Nov 10 – Nov 27
Current Productions for the week of November 7, 2011
Hairspray
Staring David Arisco as Edna Turnblad
at Actors Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre Until Nov 13
Hairspray is Broadway’s hottest musical-comedy phenomenon with so much heart and soul that it also inspired a major motion picture. It’s 1962, and pleasantly plump Baltimore teen Tracy Turnblad has only one desire, to dance on the popular “Corny Collins Show.” When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star, but she must use her new found power to vanquish the reigning teen queen, win the affections of her heartthrob Link Larkin and integrate a TV network – all without denting her ‘do!
The Addams Family
at The Kravis Center Until Nov 13
The weird and wonderful family comes to devilishly delightful life in THE ADDAMS FAMILY. This is definitely not the same old song and dance. It's every parent's nightmare. Your little girl has suddenly become a young woman, and what's worse, has fallen deliriously in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. Yes, Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has a “normal” boyfriend, and for parents Gomez and Morticia, this shocking development will turn the Addams house downside up. It’s a family portrait that’s completely off the wall.
Lend Me A Tenor
at Broward Stage Door Theatre Until Nov 13
Set in the 1930s, Lend Me a Tenor is a madcap screwball comedy that takes place when Tito Merelli, the fiery-tempered and world famous Italian superstar, arrives in Cleveland, Ohio to make his debut with the local opera and promptly goes missing. As Saunders, the show's presenter, conspires to cover for Tito's absence, placate his hot-blooded wife, and distract his most passionate fans, chaos on a truly operatic level ensues.
The 39 Steps
at The Maltz Jupiter Theatre Until Nov 13
Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel and you have Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, Broadway’s most intriguing, most thrilling, most riotous comedy smash! The mind-blowing cast plays over 150 characters in this fast-paced tale of an ordinary man on an extraordinarily entertaining adventure. Using ingenious theatrical invention, this production is an engaging, fast-paced whodunit that celebrates the magic of theater.
Thrill Me - The Leopold and Lobe Musical
at Rising Action Theatre Until Nov 20
The South Florida premiere of the acclaimed musical based on the true story of Leopold and Loeb, the so-called thrill killers who murdered a young boy in 1924 in order to commit the perfect crime. While this crime was previously depicted in the film dramas Hitchcock's Rope and Compulsion, this is the first musical version, and the most frank in revealing the couple's mutual sexual attraction.
After The Revolution
at The Caldwell Theatre Company Until Nov 20
After the Revolution is the story of the brilliant, promising Emma Joseph who proudly carries the torch of her family's Marxist tradition, devoting her life to the memory of her grandfather, much revered for refusing to “name names” during the McCarthy hearings. But when history reveals a shocking truth about the man himself, the entire family is forced to confront questions of honesty and allegiance they thought had been resolved.
Captiva
at Zoetic Stage Until Nov 20
Over the course of a weekend reunion, three siblings come together in the hopes of celebration and re-connection.When their parents join them, rivalry, sex and a hurricane turn the family upside down. Stranded together, they are forced to face each other with honesty and bottles of wine. Captiva is a smart and stinging contemporary comedy about family, fear and the future.
The Tale Of The Alergist Wife
at The Boca Raton Theatre Guild Until Nov 20
Marjorie Taub: shopaholic, avid reader, loved by her devoted husband...but her beloved psychiatrist has just died, her mother obsesses about her gastric tract and her husband is now retired and devoted to sinus infections for the homeless. After a breakdown in the Disney store...what is Marjorie to do? Enter her friend from the past, Lee Greene...who has a few secrets of her own!
Guys and Dolls
at Broward Stage Door Theatre Until Dec 4
Nathan Detroit, the organizer of the oldest permanent floating crap game, bets Sky Masterson that he can't make the next girl he sees fall in love with him. Featuring “Guys and Dolls”, “Luck Be a Lady Tonight”, and “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat”, this beloved musical is also a great American classic and multiple Tony-Award Winner!
RED by John Logan
at The Gable stage at the Biltmore Until Dec 4
It is 1958 and abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art; a series of murals for New York's famed Four Seasons Restaurant. Raw and provocative, this 2010 Tony Award-winning play is a searing portrait of the ambition, vulnerability and agony inherent in the art of making art.
Staring David Arisco as Edna Turnblad
at Actors Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre Until Nov 13
Hairspray is Broadway’s hottest musical-comedy phenomenon with so much heart and soul that it also inspired a major motion picture. It’s 1962, and pleasantly plump Baltimore teen Tracy Turnblad has only one desire, to dance on the popular “Corny Collins Show.” When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star, but she must use her new found power to vanquish the reigning teen queen, win the affections of her heartthrob Link Larkin and integrate a TV network – all without denting her ‘do!
The Addams Family
at The Kravis Center Until Nov 13
The weird and wonderful family comes to devilishly delightful life in THE ADDAMS FAMILY. This is definitely not the same old song and dance. It's every parent's nightmare. Your little girl has suddenly become a young woman, and what's worse, has fallen deliriously in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. Yes, Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has a “normal” boyfriend, and for parents Gomez and Morticia, this shocking development will turn the Addams house downside up. It’s a family portrait that’s completely off the wall.
Lend Me A Tenor
at Broward Stage Door Theatre Until Nov 13
Set in the 1930s, Lend Me a Tenor is a madcap screwball comedy that takes place when Tito Merelli, the fiery-tempered and world famous Italian superstar, arrives in Cleveland, Ohio to make his debut with the local opera and promptly goes missing. As Saunders, the show's presenter, conspires to cover for Tito's absence, placate his hot-blooded wife, and distract his most passionate fans, chaos on a truly operatic level ensues.
The 39 Steps
at The Maltz Jupiter Theatre Until Nov 13
Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel and you have Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, Broadway’s most intriguing, most thrilling, most riotous comedy smash! The mind-blowing cast plays over 150 characters in this fast-paced tale of an ordinary man on an extraordinarily entertaining adventure. Using ingenious theatrical invention, this production is an engaging, fast-paced whodunit that celebrates the magic of theater.
Thrill Me - The Leopold and Lobe Musical
at Rising Action Theatre Until Nov 20
The South Florida premiere of the acclaimed musical based on the true story of Leopold and Loeb, the so-called thrill killers who murdered a young boy in 1924 in order to commit the perfect crime. While this crime was previously depicted in the film dramas Hitchcock's Rope and Compulsion, this is the first musical version, and the most frank in revealing the couple's mutual sexual attraction.
After The Revolution
at The Caldwell Theatre Company Until Nov 20
After the Revolution is the story of the brilliant, promising Emma Joseph who proudly carries the torch of her family's Marxist tradition, devoting her life to the memory of her grandfather, much revered for refusing to “name names” during the McCarthy hearings. But when history reveals a shocking truth about the man himself, the entire family is forced to confront questions of honesty and allegiance they thought had been resolved.
Captiva
at Zoetic Stage Until Nov 20
Over the course of a weekend reunion, three siblings come together in the hopes of celebration and re-connection.When their parents join them, rivalry, sex and a hurricane turn the family upside down. Stranded together, they are forced to face each other with honesty and bottles of wine. Captiva is a smart and stinging contemporary comedy about family, fear and the future.
The Tale Of The Alergist Wife
at The Boca Raton Theatre Guild Until Nov 20
Marjorie Taub: shopaholic, avid reader, loved by her devoted husband...but her beloved psychiatrist has just died, her mother obsesses about her gastric tract and her husband is now retired and devoted to sinus infections for the homeless. After a breakdown in the Disney store...what is Marjorie to do? Enter her friend from the past, Lee Greene...who has a few secrets of her own!
Guys and Dolls
at Broward Stage Door Theatre Until Dec 4
Nathan Detroit, the organizer of the oldest permanent floating crap game, bets Sky Masterson that he can't make the next girl he sees fall in love with him. Featuring “Guys and Dolls”, “Luck Be a Lady Tonight”, and “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat”, this beloved musical is also a great American classic and multiple Tony-Award Winner!
RED by John Logan
at The Gable stage at the Biltmore Until Dec 4
It is 1958 and abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art; a series of murals for New York's famed Four Seasons Restaurant. Raw and provocative, this 2010 Tony Award-winning play is a searing portrait of the ambition, vulnerability and agony inherent in the art of making art.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
The Adams Family
The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts Presents
The Addams Family
Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice
Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Nov 8 – Nov 13
The Addams Family
Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice
Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Nov 8 – Nov 13
