Tag Archives: David Kwiat

Issues Woven Into Warm Comedy in GableStage’s Native Gardens

Native Gardens is, indeed, a comedy infused with character-based humor that satisfies as a warm summer evening of laughs. But Karen Zacarías’ social satire at GableStage gently weaves in themes about a new generation gap, unintentional racism, pride, ambition, immigration, borders, ageism, classism, competition, obsession and a half-dozen other topics.

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Cast of Region’s Top Actors Triumph in 12 Angry Men

A baker’s dozen actors we’ve seen in myriad roles over the past decade or more submerge themselves so deeply in their characters that they are nearly unrecognizable. An unequalled assemblage of A-list talent and accumulated skill merge into a single ensemble in Palm Beach Dramaworks’ vibrant revival of the classic jury room drama 12 Angry Men.

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Recreating A Family is Central to Larsen’s Dramedy “The Actors”

Savor an unqualified success with playwright-actor Ronnie Larsen’s The Actors. Copious laughs dominate a seemingly silly sit-com situation, but they recede (though never disappear) as the human angst underneath keeps poking toward the surface until it becomes the reason for the evening.

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Ordinary Americans Digs Into Tragedy Of Blacklisting

GableStage’s co-production with Palm Beach Dramaworks of the world premiere of Ordinary Americans traces TV icon Gertrude Berg as she battles blacklisting, featuring stellar performance by Elizabeth Dimon.

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Premiere Of Ordinary Americans Details Still Resonating Issues Of Blacklist & McCarthyism

The world premiere of Joseph McDonough’s Ordinary Americans needs more work but it has enough promise and fine performances at Palm Beach Dramaworks that it’s worth the effort. The story of indomitable broadcast icon Gertrude Berg fighting the plague of the blacklist in the 1950s carries a clear warning to audiences today.

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Wiesenthal Challenges Us To Prevent Tragedy Once Again

Over and over, Simon Wiesenthal’s words spoken in a biographical play written a decade ago based on a man who died 14 year ago, words about events that occurred more than 75 years ago, those words are as vibrant and relevant a direct undiluted challenge to the audience at GableStage in 2019 as anything heard this season in a political rally or debate

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The Children Is Eco-Thriller Told By Masterful Cast And Director

How do you review a play without spoilers when perception-changing revelations occur every few minutes including one halfway through that shoves the play in a 90-degree angle? Just trust us that GableStage’s The Children – eco-thriller, horror story, tale of domestic trouble, and a half dozen other themes – is a stunning experience melding playwriting, direction and acting.

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Dracula’s Prey At Zoetic: No Helpless Fainting Victims Here

In Zoetic Stage’s premiere Dracula, the vampire is a sexist pig (as are several men in the play). The protagonists are strong-willed proto-feminists. Together, they embody a society struggling with re-envisioning what self-empowered women can and should be. Michael McKeever’s script as directed by Stuart Meltzer presents social commentary told with droll, wry and self-aware humor, and the retelling of the classic horror narrative.

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Upsetting Resonances Make Cabaret Worth A Return Visit

Area Stage Company’s Cabaret underscores how this warhorse musical still serves, not as a cautionary tale, but as a flat out warning to our current socio-political climate: The production’s fresh vision forces even veteran audiences to appreciate the aforementioned themes with renewed discomfiture.

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GableStage’s If I Forget: Powerful Tale of Family Strife Over Cultural History

Raging family dysfunction played against an equally volatile backdrop of social upheaval makes for two seemingly separate but brilliantly acted and directed plays united in GableStage’s production of If I Forget — the emotional equivalent of a skiff tossed about in a raging tempest in the middle of a wintry ocean.

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