Author Archives: Bill Hirschman
Report From New York: The Prom Is Very Strange Strangers In A Strange Land
Usually in “fish out of water” comedies, the fish are surprised to find themselves out of the water and spend most of the evening trying to get back to familiar aquatic climes. But in the hilarious new musical The Prom, the fish knowingly leap out of the bowl, certain that their unique skills will be a long-desired boon to the camels and Bedouins.
Report From New York: Mean Girls Surprisingly Charming
For those convinced that theater has no future among pre-Millenials, you should have been with us a few weeks ago when we made a belated visit to a Sunday matinee of the musical version of the film Mean Girls. This hilarious yet surprisingly uplifting musical comedy will appeal to anyone of any sexual identity of any age, especially if they recall what a nightmare high school was.
It Ain’t Easy Being 18: GableStage’s Lacerating Actually
It can be argued whether Anna Ziegler’s Actually is a perfect piece of art, but it’s hard to argue that the dizzyingly thought-filled drama at GableStage has captured the angst and conflict about sex and relationships — familiar territory for us all about coming out of adolescence, but aggravated and mutated in a unique 21st Century way.
Report From New York: Just Closed ‘The Nap’ And ‘Inner Voices’ Worth A Local Look
We’re back from our trip to New York to scout out productions you might want to see (or not), shows that might tour South Florida and scripts that might be worth reviving in our regional theaters. We will post reviews over the …
Magic Planned For The Maltz’s Beauty & The Beast Is Puppetry
The musical Beauty and the Beast has been done so often that the challenge facing producers, artists and audiences is how to reinvigorate the magic. The Maltz Jupiter Theatre asks what if the enchanted household objects were not actors dressed in anthropomorphic costumes, but instead actually were the objects – represented by puppets.
Welcome Hello, Dolly! With Bravura Betty Buckley
There’s not much in life that you can say this about, but the national tour of Hello, Dolly! is everything you hope it will be. For anyone under the age of 50 who wonders if the so-called Golden Age of Musicals was, in fact, all that Golden; for those who have seen Hello, Dolly! about three times too often – this is for you.
MNM’s Grease Struts Its Stuff When The Music Starts
If you hire strong voices as they did in MNM Theatre Company’s production, the venerable musical Grease cannot help but be entertaining with its elbow-nudging pastiche of faux late ‘50s-early ‘60s rock n’ roll. The challenge in which MNM doesn’t prevail is finding the difficult to locate tone for the script scenes because Grease is not simply a straight ahead comedy as it’s played here.
Report From New York: New Daniel’s Husband Gets New Vibe
When a script is as strong as Michael McKeever’s Carbonell-winning Daniel’s Husband and begins to develop legs beyond its local premiere, one pleasure seeing it produced elsewhere is noticing how different editions such as a new one at the Westside Theatre bring their own vibe to the same work.
Report From New York: A Terrifying Portrait Of Dementia In The Waverly Gallery
If you are or have been the caregiver to a senior suffering with dementia, delusions and/or Alzheimer’s disease, the revival of The Waverly Gallery is a pain-riven reminder of the mutual agony. If you aren’t in that dilemma yet, be assured that this production featuring an unforgettable performance by Elaine May is a precise preview of the agony to come.
Buyer & Cellar: The Price Of Celebrity And Celebrity Worship
Jonathan Tolins’ satirical Buyer & Cellar provides a steady supply of giggles and guffaws in this tale about an actor hired by Barbra Streisand to staff in shops that she built in the basement of her estate’s barn in Malibu. But Island City Stage’s production, while certainly funny, lets us view Tolins’ more serious glimpses of just how different life is for celebrities cut off from the real world.
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