Mondays are Dark

It's Monday, so it's once again time to run through all the most relevant theater stories we've been able to find this week.  And there's a lot of exciting things going on in South Florida.  Companies returning from hiatus, theatres reconstituting, and exciting partnerships with larger companies

But you're on your own for Tony stories.

Low-down on La Cage
The Miami Herald talks with Christopher Sieber, who will playing Albin/Zaza when the national tour of the recent Broadway revival of La Cage Aux Folles opens at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts this week. Harvey Fierstein (who played Albin/Zaza when the revival first opened)  and George Hamilton (starring as leading man Georges) also weighs in.

“He’s very adorable, such a good guy and a trouper,” Sieber says. “We have gay and straight people in our show, but everyone has to be out there.  It’s big and bawdy, yet really intimate. La Cage has a good book and a great score and lyrics. Everything works together really well. We make people cry and laugh. Even guys who get dragged there by their wives.”

The Orlando Sentinel also has an interview with Hamilton and Sieber, from when the tour stopped in up there.

City Theatre Expanding The Brand
As you may have heard, City Theatre isn't moving Summer Shorts from Miami this year; instead, they're expanding their programming with additional productions in other locations.  BroadwayWorld fills us in on The Brand New Kid, which the company is co-producing with Orlando Repertory Theatre.  It's playing at the Kravis Center through June 17th.
South Florida Gay News fills us in on Standing On Ceremony, which City Theatre is presenting exclusively at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.  It's a collection of short plays by a range of award-winning playwrights, and the cast includes Bruce Vilanch and Bryan Batt.

Return from Limbo
Florida Theater On Stage reports that several local companies return to the scene after laying dormant for varying periods:  Rising Action has resurrected as Island City Stage, Naked Stage is going to do a bit more than The 24 HourTheatre Festival, Arts Garage is producing its own production, and the company formerly known as PlayGround Theatre presents its first production as The Miami Theater Center.

Rented, not Revived
Florida Theater On Stage also reports that Entre'Act Theatrix will be presenting Jesus Christ Superstar at the Caldwell Theatre Company's space - sans Caldwell Theater Company.  They've arranged to rent the building from the court-appointed receiver, Scott Brenner.  Brenner evicted the 37 year old company just hours before the Carbonell Awards ceremony on April 2nd.  No explanation has been given for granting access to an outside group while a company that has a vested interest in the building continues to be locked out.

Related: Reunion at Rental
In a related story, Florida Theater On Stage reports that former Royal Palm Dinner Theatre employees and patrons will be attending Entr'Act's Sunday matinee of Superstar to honor Royal Palm's founder and producer, Jan McArt.

A Little Love for Labor
The Palm Beach Post reports that in this age when all the economic ills are place on union labor, the Tony Awards honor Actors' Equity Association.

Gonna Be Fun
Palm Beach DramaWorks will be opening its production of The Fantasticks on July 13.  We're especially looking forward to it because Broadway World reports that Craig Ames is on board as Musical Director.  We worked with Craig on this show many moons ago, and it was an amazing experience.  With an amazing cast and one of the finest production teams in South Florida, it should be a slam-dunk. If you've never seen this show, or have never seen a professional production of it, don't miss it. 

Speaking of Fun
Florida Theater On Stage announces that the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts has announced that it's partnering with several small production companies:

Theater Up Close, the series co-produced by the Arsht Center, has announced a 2012-2013 season partnering with the home-grown Zoetic Stage, the University of Miami’s theater department, the House Theatre of Chicago and, for the first time, the Alliance Theatre Lab of Miami Lakes.

Congratulations to all the partners, and to us, the theatre-loving public.