Reviews

Christina Alexander Explores Varied Relationships In Hate! An American Love Story At MTC

Admit up front that the world premiere of Christina Alexander’s one-woman show Hate! An American Love Story is a tad unfocused, undisciplined, even sloppy theater. Then acknowledge that it’s also one of the most insightful and moving depictions that South Florida audiences have seen of the emotional viscera inside inter-racial, inter-gender relationships.

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La Sonnambula Is No Snooze Thanks To Stunning Turn By Rachele Gilmore

You don’t have to be a musicologist or opera aficionado to recognize the stunning meld of emotion and technique in the artistry of Rachele Gilmore’s performance of the title role in Florida Grand Opera’s production of La Sonnambula.

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Maltz Leaves Little Doubt

The Maltz Jupiter Theatre production under J. Barry Lewis’ direction merits being seen for three finely-crafted performances by Maureen Anderman, Jim Ballard and Julie Kleiner, plus an outstanding portrait by Karen Stephens. But thematically, it’s thrown out of whack because the deck seems stacked toward one truth and then irreversibly stacked the other way. Few people will leave this production indecisive about the priest’s guilt or innocence.

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New Theatre’s Agnes Of God Depicts Intriguing Battle Between Faith And Reason

By Bill Hirschman It’s been a season of struggles between faith and reason, intellect and romanticism, science and religion in South Florida theater: Amadeus at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, The Magic Flute at Florida Grand Opera, and simultaneous productions bowing …

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Side Show Burns With Passion About Love Among Outsiders

There is more passion pouring off the stage in Slow Burn Theatre Company’s thrilling Side Show than in ten other musicals we’ve seen in the past year put together. That may result in one too many deafening power ballad after power ballad for some tastes and eardrums, but for those wanting to be touched by a poignant, but very dark tale skillfully delivered, Side Show is a powerful example of what the modern musical can be.

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Dramaworks’ Raisin Starts Slow But Builds To Emotional Crescendo Of Yearning

It starts slow, so slow that you fear it may never get going. But when Palm Beach Dramaworks’ A Raisin in the Sun finally gets rolling, the emotional wallops arrive in every deepening wave of gut-wrenching, heart-rending passion, arguably all the more potent for having emerged from such a quiet, prosaic run up.

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Parade’s The Whole Caboodle: Clever Plays & Talented Cast Dragged By Confusing Concept

Parade Productions’ collection of short plays by Michael McKeever, The Whole Caboodle, has the makings of a terrific evening of theatre, but an added conceptual element prevents the show from fulfilling its potential.

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FGO’s Offbeat Magic Flute As Funny As It’s Beautifully Sung

In a classic opera depicting the battle between intellectual enlightenment and romanticism with allusions to ancient Masonic rituals, you don’t expect a character to exclaim, “Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?” But this is director Jeffrey Marc Buchman’s whimsical take on Mozart’s The Magic Flute, one of the most popular operas of all time, in part, because its inherent irreverence begs to be enhanced with goofball humor and imaginative re-interpretations – both of which mark the Florida Grand Opera’s edition.

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Broward Stage Door’s Damn Yankees Is Just A Base Hit

With the upfront caveat that we saw an early preview, Broward Stage Door’s Damn Yankees is a base hit but no triple. The cast needs to pitch with a little more spin on the ball, even with talent in the dugout plus a delightful score that qualifies as a solid run batted in.

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Gloucester Blue At Arts Garage Melds Sex, Murders, Laughs

Israel Horovitz’s Gloucester Blue, getting a gleefully mischievous world premiere at the Arts Garage, is a black comedy with all three Aristotelian verities – beer, blackmail and blood. The internationally honored playwright has penned an offbeat tale rooted in blue collar rage against the one-percenters as two workmen and two Brahmins interact in wildly varying ways that will leave dead bodies in their wake.

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