Author Archives: Bill Hirschman
Carbonells Reschedule a Week for Jan McArt Celebration
BREAKING NEWS: The 45th annual Carbonell Awards gala has been moved a week to Nov. 7 so as not to conflict with a Celebration of Life scheduled to honor the late South Florida theater legend Jan McArt slated for Nov. 14.
Dramaworks’ Belle of Amherst Celebrates The Glory of Words
Palm Beach Dramaworks’ The Belle of Amherst reveal Emily Dickinson not as the reclusive old maid you perceived in American Lit class, but as a passionate and joy-radiating genius who can gently skewer pretension with self-deprecating humor. Margery Lowe in a bravura tour de force and director William Hayes create Emily as a vibrant, witty, independent thinker so engaging that you want to adopt her as your new best friend.
Murder on the Orient Express Reimagined as Comic Trip
Do not go to Actors’ Playhouse’s Murder on the Orient Express expecting the grim locked-room mystery at the heart of the films or the novel. This 2017 edition is penned by the playwright of Lend Me A Tenor. If you can wipe the tone of those earlier efforts from your mind, you will likely find yourself chuckling much of the night at these theater veterans turn the Christie classic into a cute, often quite funny two-hour comedy sketch.
Carbonells’ Set ‘Theater Prom’ Date, New Venue, Changes
A sign of recovery in theater, the Carbonell Awards have announced a firm date and location for the live resumption of the annual recognition of excellence in South Florida theater. “Theater Prom,” in which artists, patrons and fans annually gather in their finery for the premier socializing reunion of the season, is slated for Nov. 14, at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center/
Vero Beach’s Riverside Reopens With John Denver Bio-Musical
After its January re-opening production of Carousel was cut short by Covid, the Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach re-re-opened its season on May 10 with a splendid production of Almost Heaven: John Denver’s America. This show’s Opening Night audience was clearly stoked to be back in the theatre after so long and embraced the performance with heartfelt affection.
Scores of Cappies High School Awards Given in 20th Year
Those who believe that theater is dying would have seen a vibrantly healthy future Tuesday when hundreds upon hundreds of teenagers, their families and friends cheered and screamed their enthusiasm at the South Florida Cappies Gala. The program encouraging theater and criticism among students at 19 schools presented scores of competitive awards at its 20th annual ceremony.
Report From New York: Stagecraft is, Indeed, Magical In Revamped Harry Potter Play
In the theatrical world when the tired complaint persists about reliance on chandeliers and helicopters, the revamped Harry Potter and the Cursed Child isn’t going to please those folks much. But you simply have to admit that while the script is just adequate and the acting is workmanlike, good grief, the stagecraft and the choreographed staging are breath-taking.
Report From New York: ‘American Buffalo’ Again Dives Into the Nation’s Lower Depths
In a cold analysis, nothing much actually happens in the narrative sense during David Mamet’s 1975 dive into the social gutter of the 20th Century United States, the classic American Buffalo. But there is more tension, more multi-level relationships, more vibrant characterizations in this 83rd revival at Circle in the Square than in several recent epics on Broadway.
FGO’s Unique Vision Of Handel’s Agrippina Is Humorous
It’s unlikely that Handel imagined his Baroque opera Agrippina, rooted in the Roman transfer of power from Claudius to Nero, quite like this: Set in Regency England, staged with laughter as a 1930s Black movie company films the event.
M Ensemble Sings the Harlem Blues for an Alabama Sky
If it’s possible to capture the depth and breadth of a tumultuous vibrant time and place by just focusing on the intersecting lives of five ordinary people, in this case Harlem in 1930, then Pearl Cleage’s Blues for an Alabama Sky comes close, notably in this production by the M Ensemble Company.
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