Mondays are Dark

The Show Must Go On...
South Florida Theatre Review reports that a wrecked car didn't keep Eric Farbregat from his opening night.

...Unless You Have Something Else To Do
The South Florida Theatre Review also reports on the cancellation of Ground Up and Rising's HurlyBurly.

Five Years On The Playground
The Miami Herald talks with Stephanie Ansin, founder and artistic director of The Playground Theatre in Miami Shores.

The Young Ones
But Ansin isn't the only thirty-something theatre talent that the Herald profiled; in the article 20 Under 40, we get profiles of Arturo Fernandez, Joann Maria Yarrow, Antonio Amadeo, and Vanessa Garcia.

Herald's Top Five
The Miami Herald has also picked its top five "best bets" in theatre.  Actor's Playhouse makes the list with Nilo Cruz's new play, and August:Osage County.  GableStage is up for being the first South Florida theatre to produce a play by renowned South Florida playwright Tarell Alvin McRaney, Florida Stage - of course! - for the start of its 'Florida Cycle.'  And Zoetic Stage, which hasn't actually mounted a full production yet, makes the list on the basis of the tremendous talent pool involved.

Heroic Grasp
This New York Times article about the upcoming Broadway opening of a Spider-Man musical brings to mind a quote from Robert Browning:

“Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?”

Meanwhile, the world waits to see if a super-hero can be brought to life, live on stage.

A Tangled Web
Meanwhile The Producer's Perspective wonders if this hugely expensive, special-effects intensive show will change Broadway;

...Broadway musical budgets 50 years ago were less than a million bucks.

Now the average is getting closer to 15 million.  That's an increase of 1500%. And inflation has increased.

What will the average be in 2060?

Spider-Man is going to cost about $60 million to mount, and will need to pull in about $1 million a week to be profitable.  If it fails, producers will become unwilling to risk large ventures that introduce new technology to production.  If it succeeds, producers will abandon simpler projects in favor of big glitzy productions that might bring in a million bucks a week.  We're so boned.

Arsht Takes a Leap
The Drama Queen reports that the Arsht Center has booked Raul Esparza to headline their 5th Anniversary Gala, with tables going for $10,000.  The South Florida native wowed audiences in Babalu, which premiered at the Arsht earlier this year, and is opening the new musical Leap Of Faith in Los Angeles in October.  The adaptation of Steve Martin's 1992 film is expected to head to Broadway.

Inside Scoop
Wondering what's going on at Zoetic, South Florida's newest theatre company?  Wonder no more - read their newsletter.  It includes a list of projects featuring their company members.

Muse on This
The Palm Beach Daily News reports that the Palm Beach Cultural Council is looking for nominees for its annual Muse Awards.

Nominations are being accepted in the following categories: Excellence in Historical and Cultural Heritage; Excellence in Arts and Cultural Outreach; Excellence in Arts Integrated Education; Outstanding Festival; Outstanding Collaboration; Outstanding Philanthropist; and the Clyde Fyfe Award for Performing Arts.

Meanwhile...
...in Palm Beach, the Shiny Sheet reports that the Royal Poinciana Playhouse is still closed.

A lawyer for Preserve Palm Beach and Patrick Flynn has filed a motion asking Circuit Judge David Crow to reconsider a ruling that kept an effort to save the Royal Poinciana Playhouse off the Nov. 2 ballot.

Even if Crow were to reverse his ruling, there is no chance the referendum would make it onto the Nov. 2 ballot.

“The deadline is passed,” Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher said Wednesday.

This is the second referendum by Flynn to have been rejected for violating the Florida constitution.