Author Archives: Bill Hirschman
Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein” musical is monstrous good fun.
Mel Brooks’ classic 1974 film Young Frankenstein comes to life on stage in a musical that’s less mad than madcap scientist. The musical lovingly recreates the film, a black-and-white spoof/homage to the Frankenstein films of the 1930s. The plot follows …
Critic’s Choice(s)
We don’t expect any tears for theater critics, but we’ll be earning our paychecks over the next two weeks. Just a sample of what’s on deck to go on the boards: Our Critic’s Choice has to be the world premiere …
Talking to myself
Taking Spider-Man‘s place as the mega-musical least likely to open on Broadway is Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to Phantom of the Opera, which, already postponed at least once, will not open this spring as planned. Mixed reviews …
24-Hour Theatre marathon a night to remember
The South Florida theater community refers to the Carbonell Awards ceremony as “theater prom” because everyone dons formal wear and parties late into the night. They should start referring to The Naked Stage’s 24-Hour Theatre Project as “theater kegger.” Now …
Strong cast elevates creepy “Angel Eaters”
The first image of Johnna Adams’ The Angel Eaters is provocative–a tableau of Depression-era characters, looking stunned and haunted, standing in front of a broken-down farmhouse. The next image is of a young girl being embraced by an otherworldly woman. …
The malleable titanium of show tunes
Show tunes pop up in the most unexpected places and the best-constructed ones have a durability and universality that transcend their stage production. Case in point were some of the numbers in Saturday’s concert by Melissa Manchester as part of …
Non-musical chairs at Caldwell
A major break has caused the Caldwell Theatre Company to scramble its planned season schedule. The Boca Raton theater has secured the rights to be the first theater in the region to produce Broadway’s hit play,’God of Carnage. Yasmina Reza’s …
Weak cast does little to strengthen “Steel Magnolias”
The Broward Stage Door Theatre in Coral Springs is reviving Steel Magnolias, that iconic chestnut about the strong friendships between a group of Southern women, in a lackluster production that fails to illuminate the winning aspects of Robert Harling’s sentimental …
Caldwell�s “Follies” scores with talented cast
The unavoidable limitations of the Caldwell Theatre’s stirring concert edition of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies will only make you ache for a full production. The single piano standing in for an orchestra, projections standing in for opulent sets, 13 actors standing …
Nilo Cruz revisits Cuban-American roots with new play
It won’t just be the presence of the Cuban-American community that will imbue a resonance in Nilo Cruz’s play set in 1960 Havana when it has its world premiere next week in Coral Gables. It’s that Miami’s favorite-son playwright is …
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