Author Archives: Bill Hirschman

Amparo Aims To Immerse Patrons In Cuban Epic Tale

Its creators acknowledge that the drama Amparo has familiar elements, especially the story of a family escaping Cuba and finding success in a new land. But the way the story is designed to surround and immerse patrons so that they see, hear and feel what the characters are undergoing – thereby making a unique connection even for viewers who are not Cuban-American.

Posted in Features | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Surprises & Cheers At Theater Prom — The 43rd Carbonells

Monday was an evening of firsts at the 43rd Carbonell Awards for newcomers and veteran companies in which Palm Beach Dramaworks’ moving Indecent won Best Play and Slow Burn Theatre Company’s rousing Memphis garnered the Best Musical honor.

Posted in News | Tagged | Leave a comment

Complete List of 2018 Carbonell Recipients And Statistics

The complete list of Carbonell Award winners, nominees and breakdown by theater and county for the 2018 performance year.

Posted in News | Tagged | Leave a comment

Slow Burn’s 9 to 5 Carries A Little Extra Spin In #metoo Era

When the 9 to 5 bowed in 1980 , the movie about women rebelling against being taken advantage of was downright funny, even if the injustice and sexism it depicted was universally acknowledged as all too common. The musical version revived by Slow Burn Theatre Company is still pretty funny, but in the wake of the #metoo movement, it inherently contains a bit more topspin on the revenge fantasy against behavior now deemed inexcusable.

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dramaworks’ Fences Rages Against The Dying Of The Light

In Palm Beach Dramaworks’ triumphant production of August Wilson’s Fences, this Troy Maxson rages. Whether this physical kinetic Troy is delivering a defiant challenge to death, railing at the racial prejudice that has undercut his dreams, or privately excoriating his own guilt for making destructive choices — this Troy unleashes a lifetime of festering wrath in a basement barrel baritone.

Posted in Performances, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Theatre Lab’s Quiet Muted ‘Harlowe:’ Healing And Feeling

Theatre Lab’s world premiere of Jennifer Lane’s Harlowe is indeed quiet, muted, dense. The titular heroine, who is coping with the emotional and literal scars from some horrific attack, can no longer feel anything, psychologically or physically. The writing, the direction and the acting all are commendable, but it’s a quirky sui generis piece that is hard to plug into emotionally.

Posted in Performances, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ghost-Writer Explores The Art Of Writing And Social Restrictions On Creative Women

Riverside Theatre turns down the volume and ratchets up the intellect in its production of Ghost-Writer, performing now on the Waxlax Stage.

Posted in Performances, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

An Electrifying New Riff On West Side Story At The Maltz

The electrifying choreography by Al Blackstone and the vibrant staging by Marcos Santana in the Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s West Side Story not only wipe away any disappointment at not seeing Jerome Robbins’ vision, their work is so strong and original that Robbins rarely invades the audience’s consciousness.

Posted in Performances, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Powerful Dear Evan Hansen Has Extra Resonance In Broward

Perhaps the artists gifting us this superb tour of Dear Evan Hansen may not quite appreciate how some of its themes resound specifically in South Florida like the deafening battery of cannon fire. A year after the Parkland tragedy and less than a week after two teen suicides, the story does not pluck heartstrings as it has for tens of thousands of fans; it rips them out.

Posted in Performances, Reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Performance for Evan Patrons Displaced By Power Outage

Due to a power outage on opening night, the first performance of Dear Evan Hansen was unable to go on as scheduled. A performance has been added for Sunday, April 7 at 6:30 p.m. for audience members displaced by the cancelled performance..

Posted in News | Tagged , | Leave a comment