Tag Archives: Brian O’Keefe

The Messenger at Palm Beach Dramaworks

By Oline H. Cogdill “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good men do nothing.’’ That quote, attributed to 20th-century German philosopher Hannah Arendt and, in other variations, to 19th  century British philosopher John …

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Dreams Form The Core Of Dramaworks’ Intimate Apparel

Lynn Nottage’s incisive Intimate Apparel explores a dozen themes simultaneously and all viewed through the prism of race at the turn of the century. But this Palm Beach Dramaworks edition finds a commonality among all of the above: the hope and fear and frustration connected to dreams deferred and dreams realized.

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Indecent Exemplifies What Theater Can Be & Why We Go

Palm Beach Dramaworks’ Indecent is precisely the kind of thrilling evening that glories in what theater can be – a unique art form that cannot be matched by anything on film, anything hanging on a wall, anything reproducible on an mp3 or an mp4.

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The Little Foxes Explores The Cost Of Greed At Dramaworks

Greed—that timeless vice that steamrolls over everything in its path—is as relevant today as it was in Lillian Hellman’s 1939 drama The Little Foxes, now receiving a sumptuous revival at Palm Beach Dramaworks.

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Dramaworks’ Honors The Family Verities: Greed, Sex and Murder In Revival Of The Little Foxes

Greed. Sexism. Conscienceless businessmen. Blackmail. Rebellious youth. Women fighting to break the glass ceiling. Women using sex to manipulate men. Bank embezzlement. Even murder. No, not the latest installment of The Real Housewives. It’s Palm Beach Dramaworks’ revival opening this week of The Little Foxes.

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A Bloody Good Sweeney Todd Erupts At PB Dramaworks

Homicidal rage against a corrupt world spews into the audience in Palm Beach Dramaworks’ Sweeney Todd. But its singular spin is that the serial throat-slitting barber does not start as a vengeance-obsessed fiend. It it adds a dimension of, not forgiveness, but compassion to this cross between gleeful Grand Guignol and merciless condemnation of socio-economic inequity.

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Don’t Let Esoteric Details Dissuade You; Let Dramaworks’ Arcadia Swirl Around You

Palm Beach Dramaworks’ production of Arcadia is Tom Stoppard’s love letter to the miracle of human intelligence’s pursuit of learning — with a gentle jab at the hubris of those who are so taken with that pursuit.

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The Storm-Tossed Seek Hope And Salvation In Dramawork’s The Night Of The Iguana

The emotional histrionics and pyrotechnic acting in the first act notwithstanding, it’s the quiet poignant moments of compassion and connection in the second act that are the most deeply affecting in Palm Beach Dramaworks’ skillful resurrection of Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana.

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The Heart Is Just Another Tool To Exploit In Dramaworks’ Les Liaisons Dangereuses

When done well, the astringent Les Liaisons Dangereuses is an increasingly horrifying descent into a morally bankrupt aristocratic society. Palm Beach Dramaworks’ solidly executed and lushly produced edition comes very close to achieving that level, but it falls just a shade short of communicating the venality of curdled souls.

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Bravura Lion In Winter Is Family Battle Royal As Blood Sport

To summarize The Lion in Winter as a drama about a dysfunctional family is to facilely devalue this examination of just how base the human animal can be in the grip of power and ambition. Director William Hayes and a fine cast make the most of the acerbic gallows humor in Palm Beach Dramaworks’ bravura production, but they also build Goldman’s underlying case for the less than laudable aspects of our nature.

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