By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) There is little doubt when Thomas Lanier Williams put pen to paper and drafted what became The Glass Menagerie that he was pouring out the poetic words that traced his own tortuous upbringing. Under the guise of his nom de plume, Tennessee Williams, his “memory play” was…
By EDWARD RUBIN While New York City recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising with much hoopla and an enormous traffic-stopping Gay Pride parade that went on well into the night, New York’s Lincoln Center Theater chose to feature the other side of the coin by mounting the American premiere of playwright Chris…
By ROY BERKO When I saw Come From Away on Broadway I was totally blown away! As the lights faded on the last scene, I shot out of my seat to give a standing, yelling salute. Yes, me, the person who doesn’t believe in standing ovations unless the show is an A+ was totally “in” on awarding this…
By EDWARD RUBIN In the past year (or five), there have been a healthy number of beautifully crafted, wonderfully acted, and solidly produced black-centric plays both on Broadway and Off Broadway. What it means to be black in the United States has been examined from every conceivable angle – historically, sociologically, and psychologically – both…
By ALAN SMASON, Theatre Critic, WYES-TV (“Steppin’ Out“) The Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts has typically pulled out all of the stops for their summer show every year. Last year they had Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” while in its most previous years the company produced “Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’” last year, a staged…
By EDWARD RUBIN April Matthis, as Toni Stone (1921-1996) the first woman to play professional baseball in the Negro League, is knocking it out of the ballpark every night at the Laura Pels Theatre through August 11. The play, lightly based on Martha Ackmann’s book “Curveball: The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone,” is overwhelmingly inspirational,…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) In 2013, Joyce Pulitzer realized a dream she had begun some 15 years previous when she and her friend David Seelig first set pen to paper to begin writing Freedom, a piece intended to celebrate America’s diversity as a welcoming haven for immigrants of all stripes. Her…
By AARON KRAUSE MIAMI — Do yourself a favor: Do not think about Come From Away as just another show “about 9/11.” To be sure, this remarkable true story would not exist had the terrorist attacks on one of the world’s darkest days not occurred. But Come From Away, which is hardly depressing, is about so much more…
By AARON KRAUSE FT. LAUDERDALE — A couple of reviews of A Bronx Tale, the Broadway musical, describe the show as a blending between Jersey Boys and West Side Story. Many might rightly agree. However, we should add to that mix Guys and Dolls as well as Memphis the Musical. True, A Bronx Tale features a fictional fledgling singing group. Perhaps, if they were real, one…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Crtic (“Steppin’ Out“) From the moment of its opening “Changing Lives,” there is a feeling in The Prom that the audience is in store for a good, old-fashioned throwback musical with real toe-tapping numbers and brassy orchestrations. And they would be right. Nominated for seven Tony Awards including Best Musical…
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV, Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) To movie lovers around the world, Dustin Hoffman’s depiction of Michael Dorsey pretending to be woman soap opera star Dorothy Michaels in “Tootsie” was a magical vehicle in 1982. It may well have ushered in some of the first acknowledgments of sexual harassment and unfair differences in…
By AARON KRAUSE WILTON MANORS, FL. — The senator proclaims his vision for America in a sunny, hopeful voice. However, the audience’s reaction is shades darker. In fact, the groans sound like die-hard fans of a beloved home team reacting with pavlovian jeers as soon as they see the arch-nemesis’ uniforms. Of course, the senator…
