By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) There are times when resetting a classic work in an updated time or alternative setting makes sense to breathe new life into staid works or to give them a new perspective. Take, for instance, Jonathan Miller’s 1982 production of the English National Opera’s Rigoletto. He famously moved the 16th […]
By AARON KRAUSE It is frigid these days at Palm Beach Dramaworks (PBD). Therefore, frostbite is a distinct possibility in a part of South Florida. But a warmth also emanates from PBD’s stage. It is rejuvenating, wholesome, hopeful, and healing. Could that warmth, in fact, counter the effects of frostbite? In the play, Almost, Maine, anything […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) With its current production of Cabaret finally on the boards, the Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts has achieved some major firsts for this perennial crowd pleaser by John Kander and Fred Ebb. It is their first production of 2022, albeit a delayed holdover from a hurricane-plagued […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) When Bryan Batt steps on the stage of Le Petit Theatre du Carré as the star of the one-man play Dear Mr. Williams, he is literally living two lifetimes, his own and that of revered playwright and poet Tennessee Williams. Developed and workshopped since its inclusion as […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) When it was announced that Ricky Graham would be in the director’s chair for Hello, Dolly! at Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts several months ago, there was anticipation this could have been one of the best versions of the Jerry Herman classic to ever grace a […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) With its most recent production of God of Carnage, the Jefferson Performing Arts Society has taken the wraps off Yasmina Reza’s controversial work first seen here at Southern Rep in 2011, less than five years after its original premiere in French in December of 2006. This production […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) There are times when a single performance rises above all others within a given production. While these times are rare, when they occur, they are noteworthy. Generally, they signal that the performer in question has achieved a luminary status that will forever mark them as a significant […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) When the notices first went out proclaiming an upcoming production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard at Slidell’s Cutting Edge Theater, there might well have been some doubt as to whether the upstart company could properly carry it off. Based on the classic Oscar-winning Billy Wilder film, the […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) Watch out, Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs, there are two dudes named Antipholus who are being confused for one another in the South Beach area of Ephesus. Adding to this gnarly situation are two Dromios, each of whom resemble a certain surfer and legendary stoner named Spiccoli. […]
By AARON KRAUSE Wolf and Badger, a taut, intense drama receiving a mostly strong world premiere production at the professional Main Street Players in Miami Lakes, presents a sobering reminder of the potentially grave consequences of drug use. The riveting, realistic production runs through Aug. 29 in Main Street Players’ intimate playing space. Folks also […]