Author Archives: Bill Hirschman
Rising Action Falls; Island City Stage Planned To Take Its Place
Rising Action Theatre, one of South Florida’s few theaters devoted primarily to gay-themed plays, is closing mid-season; but some staffers plan to replace it next fall with a new company, Island City Stage, said Andy Rogow, artistic director for both ventures.
Need A Tax Break? Help a Theater!
A flood of emails this month are reminding us that as the calendar year comes end, so do the opportunities to get a tax deduction and do some good for the theater community at the same time. They’re all asking …
Talkin’ in the Green Room With: Eric Alsford
In this edition, we talk with Eric Alsford is one of the best-known music directors in South Florida, usually shuttling from one job to another here, in New York and at regional theaters across the country. Among his current assignments is preparation for a massive undertaking that he has sought for months: Actors Playhouse’s production of the musical Next To Normal slated for Jan. 18-Feb. 12.
Edgy Mad Cat Troupe Staging Children’s Theater? Sort Of
The very idea that Mad Cat Theatre—the embodiment of edgy, adult fare in South Florida – is doing what some might misclassify as children’s theater simply doesn’t compute. The explanation is that Macbeth & the Little Monster is not some rose-colored Disney fairy tale, even though a mother reinvents the Shakespearean tragedy as a bedtime story for her son. Angela Berliner’s play opening Dec. 28 is very determinedly designed to appeal to all ages, said director Paul Tei.
Gift-Giving Guide for Theater Fans
If you’re on this site, the odds are you’re at least a theater fan, and likely a proud theater geek. Our Theater Shelf critic Brad Hathaway has been compiling the cream of the current crop of CDs, books and DVDs for the lovers of Thespis on your list (or for you to put on someone else’s list).
Stage Door’s I Love A Piano Is Very, Very Familiar Berlin Revue
With such irresistible raw material as the Irving Berlin songbook, Broward Stage Door’s production of I Love a Piano can’t help but be mildly entertaining and this edition finally emits infectious joy during the last 15 minutes. But for frequent theatergoers who have seen songbook after songbook, year after year, decade after decade, the doctor diagnoses a new malady: revue fatigue.
Ken Clement Gives Tour de Force in Actors Playhouse’s Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol
And in his current tour de force in the comical and touching Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol at Actors’ Playhouse, Ken Clement reaffirms his ability to single-handedly mesmerize an audience. Both narrator and stand-in for the 17-member cast of characters, Clement is a master storyteller enthralling us around an invisible campfire with playwright Tom Mula’s 90-minute alternate take on Charles Dickens’ classic that many people have grown weary of.
Caldwell Gives Free Peek Behind The Scenes At Wednesday Open House
The Caldwell Theatre Company is offering a rare look behind the scenes Wednesday Dec. 14 during a free open house from 1 to 8 p.m. that will feature backstage tours of the facility, performances, discussions with the creative staff, door …
Zoetic’s The SantaLand Diaries Is Witty Satire, But Not For Kids
The SantaLand Diaries is a holiday tale – not a warm inspiring morality fable for Christmas, but a harrowing if hilarious horror story for Halloween.
In Zoetic Stage’s production, the satirical monologue of a would-be actor slaving as an elf in Macy’s SantaLand is a wry, acerbic riff on the desensitizing corporate commercialization not just of the holiday, but of genuine sentiment as well.
Musical Shrek Is Silly Fun But Not As Satisfying As The Film
Don’t go looking for the sassy charming movie Shrek in its musical incarnation now appearing in the Broadway Across Miami tour at the Arsht Center for one week only.
Streaks of imagination and wit surface frequently, but this generally unengaging mediocrity misses the effortless irreverence in Dreamworks’ animated romance between a large green ogre and a beautiful princess.
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