Author Archives: Bill Hirschman
Arts Garage’s Woody Sez Is Affable, Moving Songbook
Of course, any musical revue of Woody Guthrie’s work must end with the anthem “This Land Is Your Land.” What the musical revue Woody Sez at Arts Garage does is put that expression of patriotism and brotherhood in a sobering context of Guthrie’s chastening life experiences.
Producer Jay Harris Tapped For George Abbott Award
The George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts, the most prestigious honor given by the Carbonell Awards, will be presented April 2 to producer Jay H. Harris.
Sarah Kane’s Cleansed Is Violent, Surreal Offering
Like Kane’s Blasted at GableStage in 2010 and 4:48 Psychosis at Naked Stage in 2008, Cleansed defies reactions that involve verbs such as “liked” or even “appreciated.” Even more than those other two plays, this minimalist script given flesh and form by the imagination of director Nicole Stoddard is a harrowing and frankly upsetting descent into Hell jammed with random sadistic violence targeting those who dare love.
News Briefs: Carbonell Tickets, Dramaworks’ Summer Show, Kato Gets Promotion, Short Plays Reading, Free Shows
Anyone who doubts the quality of South Florida should buy a ticket (as should everyone else who loves theater) to the 36th Annual Carbonell Awards set for 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 2 in the Amaturo Theater at Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
Sirois/Alliance Off Center of Nowhere Is Funny Sit Com Hiding Serious Theme
On the surface, David Michael Sirois’ Off Center of Nowhere is what would result if the Neil Simon of the 1970s wrote a rollicking comedy about teen pregnancy, abortion and racism, laced with a lot of profanity. The Alliance Theatre Lab’s world premiere is sit-com funny until it intentionally slams the audience into a concrete wall that will leave most observers stunned. That’s when you realize Off Center is really about the limits of how far people can bend their moral for loved ones before breaking. How unconditional is unconditional love?
Director & Star Deliver Fresh Hello Dolly As If It’s Brand New
There’s a brand new musical comedy you’ve never seen before playing at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre. It’s something called Hello, Dolly! and if you think you’ve seen it before, we’ll argue with you. Because director/choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge and leading lady Vicki Lewis invest the Jerry Herman-Michael Stewart warhorse with a freshness that nearly obliterates the iconic images created by Gower Champion and Carol Channing.
Palm Beach Dramaworks Names New Season With Albee & Friel
Palm Beach Dramaworks’ affinities for Edward Albee and Irish-themed plays are reflected in its upcoming 13th season for 2012-2013.
Director and Star Seek Fresh Spin on Hello Dolly at the Maltz
Director Marcia Milgrom Dodge and actress Vicki Lewis face that old psychology experiment: Imagine there’s an elephant in the room. Now ignore the elephant in the room. In their case, the elephants, plural, are Carol Channing and the iconic Gower Champion production of Hello, Dolly! engraved in the minds of much of the audience coming this month to see the warhorse at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre.
Say Goodnight Gracie Brings Burns and Allen’s Story Back to South Florida
It’s grossly unfair to expect an actor to impersonate an icon who remains vivid in the audience’s memory, but watching the most recent incarnation of Rupert Holmes’ biographical Say Goodnight Gracie at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, you just keep wishing George Burns was there.
Tharp’s Come Fly Away Isn’t Theater But It’s Entertaining
Twyla Tharp’s surrogates in Come Fly Away effortlessly swirl and slide across the stage like you think you do in your dreams – and to sound of Sinatra yet, crooning “The Way You Look Tonight.” This 75-minute dance recital – it arguably doesn’t qualify as musical theater because there is not a shred of overarching plot – is an undeniably enchanting evening playing at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach this week and moving to Arsht Center in Miami next week.
A PaperStreet Web Design
