The Scene for December 20, 2013

Still a lot of shows to take in before the holidays, and a bunch of them are closing this week.  Make sure that show you've been putting off seeing isn't in the last chance section, or you're going to miss it.

And remember, theatre tickets make great Christmas gifts - give the gift of theatre.  So don't waste time at the mall,. don't splurge at Amazon.com, go see a show, and stop at the box office for the best gifts for the holiday.

Unless, of course, you can help someone be Batman. 

Here's what's playing on the scene this weekend.

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opening...
 

If you find yourself in Key West, you can take in Leading Ladies at the Waterfront Playhouse, through January 11.

A little closer to home, New Theatre is sneaking in their Miami 1-Act Play Festival.  Sadly, it's still not THEIR home; they're performing at Artistic Vibes.

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you still haven't missed...   

 

Broward Stage Door Theatre offers the musical 9 to 5, through January 19. It’s enough to drive you crazy.  If you let it.
 
The Wick Theatre offers Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, through December 25th.  Note that they tend towards a 7:30 curtain!

Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theater presents Making God Laugh through December 29, 2013.

Broward Stage Door presents The Last Night of Ballyhoo, through December 31.
  
Boca Raton Theatre Guild presents its production of RESPECT at the Mizner Park Studio Theatre through January 5, 2014.
 
Palm Beach Dramaworks mounts The Lion in Winter, through January 5th.
   
Laffing Matterz is back for another season of dinner, music, and outrageous original comedy at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Thursdays through Saturdays, with some Sunday matinees.
 

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passing through...
 
The National Tour of The Book of Mormon plays  at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.  While the run is basically sold out, they’ll be holding a ticket lottery before every show, where a few remaining unsold tickets can be had for $25 a pop. This is the final weekend.
  

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last chance to see...   

The Project [theatre]'s immersive Urban Apparel at a store located in the Ultramont Mall in downtown Miami closes for business after the Sunday performance.

The Women’s Theatre Project presents The Lyons at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sands Park through December 22, 2013.

GableStage presents My Name is Asher Lev at its intimate space in the Biltmore Hotel, through December 22.
 
The Miami Theater Center brings back its production of The Red Thread through December 22.
 
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre offerss its production of Annie, featuring Vickie Lewis as Miss Hannigan.  Through December 22.

The Santaland Diaries plays at Empire Stage through December 22, 2013.

The Plaza Theatre revives I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, through December 22.  

  

It’s A Wonderful Life is playing at Andrews Living Arts Studio  through December 22.

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community/conservatory
 
 Andrews Living Arts Studio presents a stage version of It’s A Wonderful Life, through December 21.
 
The West Boca Theatre Company opens From Door To Door, through December 22. 
 
The J’s Cultural Arts Theater presents Fiddler on the Roof through December 22.
 

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for kids...
 
Fort Lauderdale Children's Theatre offers its take on The Nutcracker, A Holiday Play With Music, this Friday and Saturday only.
 
Madeline’s Christmas returns to the Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theater through December 22. 

Showtime Performing Arts Theatre presents Story of the Nutcracker through January 5. 

Off Stage Conversations

Hello, this is Andie Arthur, executive director of the South Florida Theatre League, and I'm here with Off Stage Conversations, where I take a look at what's discussed in the national and international theatre community.

I'm sorry that I've been absent for the past few weeks -- it's been a busy time. The South Florida Theatre League celebrated its 20th Anniversary and we're gearing up for some new programming to help make the next 20 just as exciting.

As the next two Wednesdays are Christmas and New Year's Day, I will be absent from blogging until 2014. So here is the final round up of articles of interest for 2013.

Are the Arts Only for the Rich?

Aaron Gervais has a great piece on why the rich donate to the arts. Gervais notes that some of the biggest donors to the arts are also some of the biggest supporters of the Tea Party and examines why that overlap happens. Meanwhile, A. Nora Long looks at the creation side of the equation and wonders if Shakespeare or Mozart could exist today, given that artists aren't expected to make a living at their art.

How Not to Discount

A small primer on why punishing discounted ticket buyers is not a great policy

Rehabilitation through the Arts

Chris Hedges writes about on teaching playwriting in prisons and the Guardian has a piece on why cutting these programs is a bad idea.

Creating Better Talkback Behavior

Lauren Gunderson writes on bad talkback behavior and how we normalize it.

And this month in gender parity discussions...

Jacqueline E. Lawton interviews Marie Sproul, who says one of my new favorite things regarding gender parity:

We do have gender-based theatres. Most of our regional theatres are male-based theatres. They are overwhelmingly run by men and the majority of the stories they tell are about men, written by men and directed by men. They may not have it in their mission statement that they are a theatre that exists to tell the stories of men, but actions speak louder than words!

The Scene for December 13, 2013

The critics are still trying to get to all the shows that opened last week, and we’re still trying to collate all the reviews; we’re glad that we don’t have to drive to all the theatres to do our part!

With so many shows playing around south Florida, how can anyone pick just one?

Well, we don’t usually play favorites, but this week, THE show to see is one that’s just opening: the Project [theatre]’s immersive Urban Apparel.  Renting an actual store, they have created a show about the people working in an ultra-hip store.  The Miami Herald delves into it for us, but the scale of the project is so impressive from every angle, we have to declare this one “The Hot Ticket.”

Here's what's playing on the scene this weekend.

---

opening...
 
The Project [theatre] opens Urban Apparel at a store located in the Ultramont Mall in downtown Miami.

The Theatre at Arts Garage is presenting a radio play version of It’s A Wonderful Life on December 12, but if you miss it, Andrews Living Arts Studio  is running it through December 22.  If you head up to Arts Garage, reserve a table with some friends and pack a picnic basket.  It’s the way to go.

Broward Stage Door Theatre opens the musical 9 to 5, through January 19. It’s enough to drive you crazy.  If you let it.

---

you still haven't missed...
 
The Women’s Theatre Project presents The Lyons at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sands Park through December 22, 2013.

GableStage presents My Name is Asher Lev at its intimate space in the Biltmore Hotel, through December 22.
 
The Miami Theater Center brings back its production of The Red Thread through December 22.
 
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre offerss its production of Annie, featuring Vickie Lewis as Miss Hannigan.  Through December 22.

The Santaland Diaries plays at Empire Stage through December 22, 2013.

The Plaza Theatre revives I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, through December 22.
 
The Wick Theatre offers Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, through December 25th.  Note that they tend towards a 7:30 curtain!

Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theater presents Making God Laugh through December 29, 2013.

Broward Stage Door presents The Last Night of Ballyhoo, through December 31.
  
Boca Raton Theatre Guild presents its production of RESPECT at the Mizner Park Studio Theatre through January 5, 2014.
 
Palm Beach Dramaworks mounts The Lion in Winter, through January 5th.
   
Laffing Matterz is back for another season of dinner, music, and outrageous original comedy at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Thursdays through Saturdays, with some Sunday matinees.
 

---

passing through...
 
The National tour of We Will Rock You plays at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts through this Sunday.  And yes, it’s the music of Queen, with a script from one of the writers of the British comedy series Blackadder.

The National Tour of The Book of Mormon plays  at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.  While the run is nearly sold out, some tickets can still be had.  Better yet, they’ll be holding a ticket lottery before every show, where a few remaining unsold tickets can be had for $25 a pop.

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last chance to see...
  
Somehow we missed it on last week’s SCENE, but you can still catch part of the Key West Fringe Theater production of Cock if you happen to be in Key West – it closes Saturday.

The Eight: Reindeer Monologues is a fundraiser for Kutumba Theatre Project at Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale (Dec. 6-13). Call now if you’re interested; some dates are already sold out.

Showtime Performing Arts Theatre finishes its run of  Nunsense on Sunday, December 15.
 
The Miami Beach Stage Door Theatre winds up the return engagement of My Son, The Waiter – A Jewish Tragedy at the Byron Carlyle Theatre, this Sunday, December 15.
 

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community/conservatory
 
Delray Beach Playhouse presents Driving Miss Daisy through December 13.
 
Area Stage has the kids doing Monty Python’s Spamalot through December 15. 
 
Andrews Living Arts Studio presents a stage version of It’s A Wonderful Life, through December 21.
 
The West Boca Theatre Company opens From Door To Door, through December 22. 
 
The J’s Cultural Arts Theater presents Fiddler on the Roof through December 22.
 

---

for kids...
 
Showtime Performing Arts Theatre presents Story of the Nutcracker through January 5.
 
Madeline’s Christmas returns to the Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theater through December 22.

Women’s Theatre Project: The Lyons (reviews)

The Women’s Theatre Project opened its production of The Lyons at the Willow Theatre on December 6, 2013.

THE LYONS is an outrageously funny Broadway hit about Rita Lyons and her family trying to find a human connection in a most unusual reunion,  as secrets are revealed and accusations are made.

"Hilariously frank, clear-sighted, compassionate and forgiving..." -  NY Times

"Smart and funny and moving." -NY Observer

"...a funny, furious little tale of family annihilation with honesty, savagery, and humanity..." - NY Magazine 

Genie Croft directed a cast that included Jessica K. Peterson, Kevin Reilley, Jacqueline Laggy, Matthew Korinko, Clay Cartland, and Carolyn Johnson.

 

Billl Hirschman reviewed for Florida Theatre On Stage:

…Silver’s wickedly hilarious satire about self-centered souls, on display at The Women’s Theatre Project, hides a deeper portrait of wounded people still seeking the affirmation that they never got from the people who society says should have been their primary nurturers.

Croft has elicited pitch perfect performances out of her cast and encouraged them to dive into the caustic darkness without flinching. She prevents them from becoming cartoon caricatures we can’t care for; they may be comic figures, but they’re multi-dimensional.

Leading the pack is Jessica K. Peterson who played a troubled mother this season in Brighton Beach Memoirs. But that role didn’t pose the challenge that she triumphs over here in her portrayal of Rita, a woman who has already moved past her marriage even though her husband still breathes… Peterson makes credible the crux of why Rita stayed with Ben for 40 years when she never ever loved him.

Kevin Reilley gives one of his best performances as the toxic curmudgeon, a grizzled burned-out crabapple.

As the walking wounded siblings, Jacqueline Laggy is a wonderfully woebegone daughter whining about her parents’ neglect, and Matthew Korinko delivers her brother as a man never comfortable in his own skin.

If you are in tune with Silver’s sense of humor, all of this is terribly funny, but these are downright horrid people. That may explain why this 2011-2012 play was a critical success in New York with a bravura performance by Linda Lavin as Rita, but has played only a handful of times in regional theaters since then.

Not for everyone, certainly, The Women’s Theatre Project delivers a tasty cup of holiday eggnog laced with arsenic.

John Thomason wrote for the Broward/Palm Beach New Times:

In Nicky Silver's The Lyons, comedy and tragedy are as inextricably linked as the two heads of conjoined twins; where one turns, the other follows. There is no joke that isn't soaked in hurtful battery acid, and rare is the moment of unabashed sorrow that isn't tempered with an acrid laugh line.

…the Women's Theatre Project struggles to bring fluidity to the playwright's unorthodox choices. There is much to be admired about the cast, especially from Cartland, who displays a heretofore unseen intensity in his small supporting role, and Korinko and Laggy, who help create the only characters in the show who are genuinely worth caring for. Reilly accurately conveys the gesticulations of a dying man — wheezing, sighing, groaning, clutching his body in discomfort. But while Peterson relentlessly inhabits an archetypal character — the meddlesome Jewish mother — she does so to a fault. Aside from one isolated scene, she lacks the soft edges necessary to temper her character's abrasiveness, and she's so loud and rough that when her character finally exits the stage, it becomes a more breathable place.

Such heaviness dilutes the short-lived charms of The Lyons, leaving us with a dark comedy that is too much dark and not enough comedy.

The Women’s Theatre Project presents The Lyons at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sands Park through December 22, 2013.

Stage Door Theater: The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Reviews)

The Broward Stage Door Theatre Company opened its production of The Last Night of Ballyhoo on November 15, 2013

It is Christmas, 1939, and all of the Jewish families in Atlanta are only interested in "Ballyhoo", the big social event of the season. From the author of " Driving Miss Daisy", it is the winner of the Tony Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Play.

Hugh M. Murphy directed a cast that included Greyssan Felipe, Larry Kent Bramble, Mike Edelman, Mary Sansone, Alex Salup, Janet Weakley, and Stephen Kaiser.

Christine Dolen reviewed for The Miami Herald:

Newly opened at the Stage Door Theatre in Coral Springs, The Last Night of Ballyhoo is, to be sure, a different kind of holiday show. As staged by director Hugh M. Murphy and performed by a fine cast, the play is funny, insightful, unsettling and ultimately redemptive. It’s visually evocative of its period too, thanks in large part to Peter Lovello’s stylish costumes.

Uhry artfully blends family comedy and ongoing tensions with his more serious exploration of religious pride and prejudice. Salup’s aghast Joe holds a mirror up to Sansone’s Sunny, a smart and decent young woman who has nonetheless internalized her family’s biases and knows pitifully little about her faith’s rich traditions.
As the brash, outspoken Joe and the gently defensive Sunny, Salup and Sansone impressively anchor the production. Uhry supplies an unnecessary (perhaps imagined) religious coda, but the two actors supply all the resolution The Last Night of Ballyhoo needs.

Bill Hirschman reviewed for Florida Theater On Stage:

A solid cast molded by director Hugh M. Murphy adds Ballyhoo to the quietly growing list of solid productions that Stage Door has been accumulating in recent years such as its recent Twilight of the Golds.

…this factual depiction of prejudice promulgated by a people discriminated against themselves remains a stunning rebuke. It warns that the powerful human need to look down on somebody crosses all ethnic and religious boundaries.

Yet, Uhry and Murphy wrap this cautionary tale in a palatable family drama laced with copious humor and considerable compassion for frailty.

Stage Door veteran Miki Edelman just seems to get better with every role. Her Boo is not emotionally cold or intentionally nasty, but pragmatic dismissive of self-deceptive illusions. The social prejudice, the premature death of her ineffectual husband and the failings of her daughter have clearly stifled her joy of living. Edelman is especially effective portraying a woman who harshly scolds her daughter’s eccentricities and useless daydreams, but whose severity cannot conceal a desperate concern for the future of the girl she loves.

Also impressive is Larry Kent Bramble as the avuncular Adolph. He’s been playing a string of aging Jewish men for a while now, but this one has an unusually authentic feel to it.

Mary Sansone, who was a stunning standout in Stage Door’s A Shayna Maidel, once again creates a fully-fleshed out human being in Sunny from a part that is extremely difficult to keep from seeming too perfect.

The toughest part belongs to Greyssan Felipe portraying the flighty, high-strung odd duck Lala. It takes quite a while to realize Lala’s overheated fluttery and quirky affect is the character, not a shallow performance choice by Felipe. Eventually, it becomes clear that it’s probably a dead-on interpretation of Lala who is in thrall to the image of Scarlett O’Hara…

Dale King wrote for the Palm Beach ArtsPaper:

Ballyhoo, written by Alfred Uhry (who also penned Driving Miss Daisy), has its humorous moments. And certainly, the crowd that packed Auditorium 2 at the Broward Stage Door Theatre in Coral Springs a week after the show had opened did not go home disappointed. But this production is also filled with serious lessons about love, family, faith and respect. It can’t be characterized by a single word

The Tony Award winner for Best Play in 1997, Ballyhoo pulls together a stellar cast, many of them Broward Stage regulars. As Adolph, Bramble has honed the fatherly/grandfatherly portrayal to the hilt. His presence keeps the stage calm and the action smooth…

…Edelman portrays the motherly role with ease... Her character of Boo is a traditional Southerner with staunch pride in her accomplished daughter.

Sansone… portrays Sunny as a quiet, introspective young woman, sure, smart and confident of her role in life. Lala comes to life through Felipe’s prowess... Portraying Lala without making the girl seem too spacy is a tough task, but Felipe handles it well.

Director Hugh M. Murphy gets a lot of mileage out of this well-oiled theatre troupe. The set design, by Stage Door Scenic, is detailed and pastel perfect. Costumes, the work of Peter Lovello, are beautifully crafted.

The Last Night of Ballyhoo plays at the Broward Stage Door Theatre through December 31, 2013.

Empire Stage: The Santaland Diaries (reviews)

Empire Stage opened its production of The Santaland Diaries on December 5, 2013

There’s It’s A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story. And there’s this other holiday perennial about an actor who takes a job during the season as a department store elf. It’s a hilarious but scathing comic monologue about the modern approach to Christmas. Stars Jamie Morris who was recently at the venue in The Silence of the Clams and The Facts of Life.

Chistopher Kenney directed Jamie Morris.

Michelle F. Solomon wrote for Florida Theater On Stage:

While David Sedaris’ The SantaLand Diaries has its share of funny, when his script stoops low for laughs, he dashes all the other precious gifts he doles out in this very inventive one-person show. Yet there are reasons to see Empire Stage’s production of the adult-tinged, bah-humbug holiday theater tradition.

…yes, Diaries has laugh-out-loud moments. In fact, one woman in Thursday night’s audience seated in front of me was so hysterical I feared she’d need a straight jacket. Contributing to this was the free wine Empire Stage has made part of their cheer (only a donation is required for the vino). Diaries is probably funnier if you have a buzz on.

Morris is a crowd pleaser and the actor commands the audience with his own doses of small asides. A few technical glitches on opening night were handled with just the right tip of the hat by Morris – not overdone, but just enough to acknowledge the slight bumps.  …his best moments were when he was interacting with the crowd (he was spot on in his selection of those he wanted to incorporate into the proceedings…)

Morris keeps his Crumpet light, which is a breath of fresh air since this could turn into a 70-minute bitchfest if not handled with a bit of levity. But like any piece of theater an audience invests in, there should be a reason to rally with Crumpet. In the end, the elf has a small epiphany about the meaning of Christmas, yet in this Diaries, the warm and fuzzy remains unwrapped.

Overall, audiences will find seasonal chuckles in Diaries (I base this on the woman who needed the straight jacket). Empire Stage’s The SantaLand Diaries isn’t all coal, it’s just more of a re-gift.

Kathryn Ryan reviewed for Edge Miami:

There is something delicious about watching a performer who absolutely loves what he is doing. Relishing every word down to the last crumb, actor Jamie Morris conspicuously consumes Davis Sedaris’ script, The Santaland Diaries bite by bite and moment by moment. Each adventure he recounts about the nightmare of being an elf at Macy’s, ushering families through Santa land on the way to see the great man, is funnier than the next.

This is a Christmas feast to rival the spread Ebenezer Scrooge brought to Tiny Tim’s family on Christmas day. It will leave you begging "Please sir, I want some more."

The Santaland Diaries plays at Empire Stage through December 22, 2013.

Actors’ Playhouse: Making God Laugh (reviews)

Actors’ Playhouse opened its production of Making God Laugh at The Miracle Theater on December 4, 2013.

Sean Grennan's new comedy follows one typical American family over the course of thirty years worth of Holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Easter, as we learn that despite what we all may have in mind for our lives, we often arrive at very unexpected destinations. As Woody Allen once said, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans". Making God Laugh is that rare play that manages to be absolutely genuine, deeply moving and unbelievably funny all at the same time.

David Arisco directed a cast that included Angie Radosh, Michael Focas, Deborah L. Sherman, Gregg Weiner, and Peter Haig.

Christine Dolen reviewed for The Miami Herald:

If casting is half the battle in crafting an effective production, director David Arisco has surrounded himself with terrific actors…

Part of the fun of Making God Laugh is the way it walks theatergoers down memory lane via Ellis Tillman’s era-evocative costumes, Gene Seyffer’s rendering of the parents’ home with its floral wallpaper, Luke Klingberg’s effective lighting and Elmo E. Lanclos III’s sound design, which bridges scenes with once-huge hits and memorable news reports.

But what makes the play much more than the goofy comedy it initially seems to be is the skillful, detailed way that five fine actors take the audience on a journey through the evolution and aging of a family. Thanks to Radosh, Haig, Weiner, Sherman and Focas, Making God Laugh is funny, moving and genuinely resonant.

Bill Hirschman reviewed for Florida Theater On Stage:

Making God Laugh may not be Eugene O’Neill or even first-rate Neil Simon, but it is undeniably effective and affecting as well as quite funny – the kind of evening in which you nudge your seatmate knowingly at a shared recollection of some familiar family folly like the offhandedly judgmental mother.

The reason these less-than-subtle proceedings work so well here – the broad comedy and the touching drama – is they’re delivered by some of the best actors in the region led by artistic director David Arisco who sets the evolving tone in each successive scene.

Sherman, who has been sorely missed while she took some time off, roars back into her role as the disaffected daughter. Her Maddie growls, grimaces, glowers, gloats and pouts at Richard’s jibes and her mother’s slights… What Sherman achieves beautifully, as Grennan must have wanted, is to show that if Maddie’s dream did not come true, she always had within her the potential for greatness in that field. Poignant, indeed.

Radosh, who has had an amazing run of performances over the past couple of years, has the best-written role but it still is a challenge. Radosh conquers it by totally inhabiting her character, never stooping for laughs.

Haig has the least to work with in the script, but he’s a veteran actor who knows how to convincingly portray a husband thoroughly in love with his prickly wife.

Weiner has done comedy often, but people think of him more for his dramatic work at GableStage. So this serves as a solid reminder that his toolbox is deep and wide…

A final nod for costumer Ellis Tillman who has been having a few terrific seasons here and at GableStage. He is tasked more than anyone with charting the changing decades and he has captured the evolving styles with note perfect outfits that are a witty commentary in themselves on transitory fashion.

Roger Martin reviewed for miamiartzine:

Sit com? Soap opera? Touches of both abound, but what saves this piece is the acting. Angie Radosh is going to do something wicked, she knows it and she loves it and you can see it in her eyes. Peter Haig will do anything to keep Ruthie's love, he's happy to be her carpet but keeps his love for his daughter foremost. Gregg Weiner has the bluff heartiness of the loser who cannot show regret. Deborah Sherman steals scenes just by being there. Fortunate that her fellow actors are such that this is not a hanging offense. She can be so far over the top all you can see are the soles of her shoes but in an instant she'll break your heart with one silent stare. And Michael Focas, with the least showy role, is entirely believable as the priest who finds the flaw in religion.

Well directed by David Arisco, this piece by Sean Grennan is well served by the costuming of Ellis Tillman, and the, as usual, fine set by Gene Seyfer, with lights by Luke Klingberg and sound by Elmo E. Lanclos 111.

John Thomason has written the first theatre review we’ve seen in the Miami New Times in months:

…in Actors' Playhouse's production of Making God Laugh — thanks to the direction and a quintet of uniformly superb performances — each of these frozen fantasies becomes a snapshot of the characters' emotional states at the time of the photograph. The hurt and the longing show through, defiant and truthful, so that we can, perhaps, peer into their souls.

This production is a triumph for Actors' Playhouse….

These characters' evolutions are marvelous to watch, thanks to performances that are rife with poise, subtlety, and intelligence. Weiner is terrific at portraying an uncouth slob, but he's even better at revealing his character's sensitivities — the vulnerabilities masked by his putdowns. Sherman is so real in this part it's frightening, from her first appearance as a 20-something rocker to her powerful recitation of a Shakespeare monologue in the final scene. Haig has the yeoman's job of making three-dimensional a character who so often blends into the background as an amiable peacemaker, but he delivers what might be the play's most emotionally stirring catharsis.

And Radosh, channeling the sort of deluded turmoil she brought to her performances of Tennessee Williams plays at New Theatre, is once again a master class in and of herself. Watch her just be in the play's most affecting scene, where she becomes a marginalized figurehead in the family and ultimately earns our pity. The color drains from her face, and she's as white as a ghost and as limp as a deflated punching bag.

Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theater presents Making God Laugh through December 29, 2013.

The Scene for December 6, 2013

This may be the busiest week of theatre this season: eight professional productions are opening this weekend, as well as three community theatre productions.  We pity the poor reviewers, slogging across the region to catch them all.
 
Eleven plays opening the same week!?!?!  Where does that happen?
 
Right here, my dears.  In South Florida.  At Monday’s South Florida Theatre League Holiday Party, Andie Arthur announced that there were just over sixty theatre companies on the rolls of the League.
 
Here's what's playing on the scene this weekend.

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opening...
 
Palm Beach Dramaworks mounts The Lion in Winter, through January 5th.  Once upon a time this play was staged under the same roof and opened in the same slot: but in December 1981, the corner was occupied by The Stage Company.  More than the name of the theatre has changed since then.
 
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre opens its production of Annie, featuring Vickie Lewis as Miss Hannigan.  Boy, does she have pipes!
 
Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre opens Making God Laugh in its intimate Balcony Theater.
 
The Plaza Theatre revives I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, through December 22.
 
The Eight: Reindeer Monologues is a fundraiser for Kutumba Theatre Project at Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale (Dec. 6-13). Call now if you’re interested; some dates are already sold out.
 
Empire Stage presents The Santaland Diaries, because someone had to.  Through December 22.
 
Boca Raton Theatre Guild opens its production of RESPECT at the Mizner Park Studio Theatre.
 
Meanwhile, The Women’s Theatre Project opens The Lyons at the Willow Theatre at Sugar Sands Park, the usual home of the Theatre Guild.
 

---

you still haven't missed...
 
GableStage presents My Name is Asher Lev at its intimate space in the Biltmore Hotel, through December 22.
 
Showtime Performing Arts Theatre opens Nunsense, through December 15.
 
The Miami Theater Center brings back its production of The Red Thread.
 
The Miami Beach Stage Door Theatre bring back My Son, The Waiter – A Jewish Tragedy to the Byron Carlyle Theatre, through December 15.
 
Broward Stage Door presents The Last Night of Ballyhoo, through December 31.
 
The Wick Theatre offers Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, through December 25th.  Note that they tend towards a 7:30 curtain!
 
Laffing Matterz is back for another season of dinner, music, and outrageous original comedy at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Thursdays through Saturdays, with some Sunday matinees.

---

passing through...
The National Tour of The Book of Mormon plays  at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.  While the run is nearly sold out, some tickets can still be had.  Better yet, they’ll be holding a ticket lottery before every show, where a few remaining unsold tickets can be had for $25 a pop.
 
The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts may not be honoring its legal obligations with the stagehands’ union, but they’re still finding the funds to bring in The Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the famed Rockettes through December 8th.

---

last chance to see...
New Theatre's production of My First, My Fist, My Bleeding Seeded Spirit plays at Artistic Vibes, through December 8; at least, as of this posting, they haven't announced plans to move the production back to the Roxy.  
 

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community/conservatory

Lake Worth Playhouse presents The Game’s Afoot through December 8.

Delray Beach Playhouse presents Driving Miss Daisy through December 13.
 
Area Stage has the kids doing Monty Python’s Spamalot through December 15.
 
Andrews Living Arts Studio presents a stage version of It’s A Wonderful Life, through December 21.
 
The West Boca Theatre Company opens From Door To Door, through December 22. 
 
The J’s Cultural Arts Theater presents Fiddler on the Roof through December 22.
 

---

for kids...
Showtime Performing Arts Theatre presents Story of the Nutcracker through January 5.
 
Madeline’s Christmas returns to the Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theater through December 22.
 
Seussical the Musical is playing at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts: by kids, for kids.

Wick Theatre: Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (reviews)

The Wick Theatre opened their sophomore production of White Christmas on November 14, 2013.

(sorry – no blurb from The Wick, because apparently they are assuming that you’ll know what this production is.)

Stacey Stephens directed a cast that included Cannon Starnes, James Cichewicz, Julie Kleiner, Kelly Shook, Alan Gerstel, and Missy McArdle, with choreography by Wendy Hall and musical direction by Michael Ursua.

 

Bill Hirschman reviewed for Florida Theatre On Stage:

The success of this work, like the movie, depends on a quartet of lead actor/singers who effortlessly exude a personality that would enchant the stoniest heart. In that, director Stephens has perfectly cast his two sets of lovers, from the square-jawed charmer Cichewicz and loose-limbed whimsical Starnes to the lovely if skeptical Shook and, best of all, the effervescent Kleiner.

…the most crowd-pleasing performance is McArdle as a fifty-something Broadway almost-star now incognito keeping the inn running despite a mountain of bills among other headaches. She unleashes a Merman belt on the song “Let Me Sing and I’m Happy” and a host of whipcrack wisecracks that sound like Thelma Ritter come back to life.

Stephens’ direction is smooth and nearly invisible. He and choreographer Wendy Hall use the aisles and even the top of the low wall in front of the loge as performing space.  Musical director Michael Ursua guided the cast  through the iconic numbers making them sound both fresh and familiar at the same time.

Once again, the orchestra is digital but the Wick’s refurbished sound system and the quality of the “performance”  of  Lance Blank’s orchestrations provides a lush razzamatazz sound that makes the fiscally-sensible choice almost forgivable. A couple of singers actually weren’t in perfect sync with the tempo of the tracks and it wasn’t intentionally alternative phrasing. And on some the tracks, you might think you hear a singer’s voice faintly like an echo.

In the end, literally and figuratively, White Christmas is a “forget your troubles, c’mon get happy” production whose finale should melt not just snow but ice-cold hearts.

Michelle F. Solomon wrote for miamiartzine:

There are two words to sum up the Wick's White Christmas – Holiday Extravaganza. With director Stacey Stephens' romantic vision, Wendy Hall's inspired choreography, costumes that rival Radio City, and a talented cast, the show is a gift to South Florida. Take advantage of this delightful holiday goodie.

What the Wick's production captures in perfect effect is playing the production in "real time." And it was necessary to have a strong cast and the right resources to execute director Stephens’ notion of honoring the era true to its day. Audiences shouldn’t feel as if they are watching a tribute to White Christmas, but instead should be transported into the period as if it were the present.

James Cichewicz… ends up making this Wallace’s story. He’s a triple threat actor – he can sing, dance, act and he commands the stage. His rendition of Blue Skies is a beautiful keeper. Kelly Shook as Betty Haynes brings on the heartbreak in her torch song Love, You Didn’t Do Right By Me. It’s a moment that you wish could be frozen in time. Cannon Starnes… adds a manic sense of comedy to the role of the ladies’ man of the duo. It’s a good approach as it creates levity in places where the book starts to lag.

Julie Kleiner as the other half of the sister troupe, Judy Haynes, is the perfect fit as the woman who finally tames Phil. Kleiner shows off her dance talent in the rousing tap number that kicks off the second act, I Love a Piano

Missy McArdle as the innkeeper's assistant, Martha Watson, is given the big, brash showstopping number, Let Me Sing and I'm Happy. There's no way to not bring down the house with this number and McArdle pulls out every trick in her veteran's acting bag to make sure Happy steals the show.

The Wick uses recorded music, but the track is rich and doesn't distract from the proceedings, and hats off to resident musical director Michael Ursua who is able to balance the tracks with having his singers create the live vibrancy of Berlin's wonderful tunes. Truth be told, a full orchestra backing this production would be the quintessential icing on this luscious holiday offering.

Hap Erstein reviewed for The Palm Beach ArtsPaper:

Coming close on the heels of the Wick’s impressive debut with The Sound of Music, White Christmas had the proverbial hard act to follow. But even without that comparison, one cannot miss how lackluster and listless this naturally ebullient musical now seems

In the Crosby role, James Cichewicz is a capable crooner, but seems at sea whenever the music stops. Cannon Starnes takes on Kaye’s part, but misses the humor in it. Similarly, Kelly Shook (Betty) has a pleasant singing voice and Julie Kleiner (Judy) dances proficiently, but they must have been absent for personality rehearsals.

Fortunately, the charisma void is filled by Mermanesque Missy McArdle in the relatively minor supporting role of Martha, the inn’s bookkeeper. For no particular reason, she belts Let Me Sing and I’m Happy and the show momentarily comes to life.

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas plays at The Wick Theatre through December 25, 2013.

Your Monday Reading List

No, we weren't copping out with the post about the Holiday Party.  A lot of news stories have come out, and we've been remiss in getting them to you.

But first, we want to point out that a lot of theatres are offering Cyber Monday deals; check in with your favorite companies to see if you can get a great deal.  Tickets make great gifts!

Today's "dark" theatre is the Colony, in Miami Beach.  In January, GableStage will be presenting Antony and Cleopatra there, instead of in its tiny venue at the Biltmore Hotel.  And you can help get it on stage!  You'll read all about that, and more, on your Monday reading list:

Must Be The Season
It's absolutely the height of the theatre season, as Florida Theater On Stage counts down everything that's playing in the next week or so:

There may be 12 days of Christmas, eight days of Hannukah and seven days of Kwanzaa, but there are 31 days of theater in South Florida underscored by the coming week in which at least 11 shows are opening in
addition to at least 11 already open and at least seven more are opening later in the month.

If you're looking for Holiday related fair, The Drama Queen runs those down for you.  For kids, for grownups, for the whole family, Jewish or otherwise, and even in Spanish, you'll find something playing that will suit your holiday mood.

Shiny....
We mentioned the Remy and the Silver Palm Awards in our earlier post, but Broadway World is collecting votes for its own Miami Broadway World Awards.  Vote for your favorite South Florida actor now!  Of course, BWW doesn't have a firm grasp on what constitutes "south Florida," but you'll recognize most of the names. And the judges are YOU, the theatre-going public. Vote early, and vote often.

Speaking of Reaching Out to The People
Florida Theater On Stage fills us in on GableStage's Kickstarter campaign to fund its portion of Antony and Cleopatra, their co-production with New York's Public Theater and The Royal Shakespeare Company. These two much larger companies have raised the stakes for tiny GableStage; for the first time, they are not only having to find housing and rental cars for actors, but they are also staging it at the Colony Theater in order to accommodate larger crowds, and to allow more students to see it during its run.  We suspect that their share in this one production is probably greater than their usual yearly budget - or darn close to it.  It would have to be, with the participation of actors and creative teams based in New York City and London, England.

Kick in a few bucks; it's good for your soul.

But Will It Make US Laugh?
uVu Video Blog interviews the director and some cast members of Making God Laugh, opening this week at Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theater.

Mondays are for Parties

Usually, Mondays are Dark, and occasionally, Mondays are for play readings.  but tonight, Monday is for the South Florida Theatre League Holiday Party.  And it's no JUST a party, it's also when the League honors the recipients of the Remy Awards.  And it's not just the night that the Remy Awards are handed out, the Silver Palm Awards join the party, too.

The party is being held at Stache, in downtown Fort Lauderdale; you've been there before, when it was called The Green Room. It's been redesigned, so it now has a speakeasy vibe; that't their story, and they are sticking to it.
 
The Theatre League has been throwing this party for years; it's free to members, but non-members can attend for $25.  That gets you a complimentary drink, and the buffet, the DJ, and a chance to mingle with South Florida's theatre professionals.  Or you can join the league right there, and enjoy the benefits the rest of the year; weekly e-blasts including auditions and discounts, a listing on the League's website, and access to their yearly unified auditions, as well as numerous workshops throughout the year.

Florida Theater On Stage brings us up to stage on the Remy Awards, expanded this year in celebration of the League's twenty years of service to the theatre community.  The Drama Queen runs through the Silver Palm Awards for us.  Both organizations are recognizing people who are usually invisible to theatre patrons; Remy awards are going to oustanding supporters of theatre, including board members and donors, as well as media outlets.  The Silver Palms are also recognizing producers and theatre critic Christine Dolen, but also stage manager James Danford.

We'll be there, hope to see YOU there. 

Stache
109 SW Second Ave
Fort Lauderdale FL 33312

GableStage: My Name Is Asher Lev (reviews)

Gablestage opened its production of My Name Is Asher Lev on November 23, 2013.

This huge hit, still running Off-Broadway, tells the powerful story of a young student in post-WWII Brooklyn who is torn between his Hasidic upbringing and the desperate need to fulfill his artistic promise ~ against the will of family, community and tradition. A stirring adaptation of a modern classic, it presents a heartbreaking and triumphant vision of what it means to be an artist.

Joe Adler directed a cast that included Avi Hoffman, Laura Turnbull,  and Etai BenShlomo.

 

Christine Dolen reviewed for The Miami Herald:

…those who don’t know much about the Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn in the 1950s may be a bit baffled by GableStage’s new production of My Name Is Asher Lev, not because of anything director Joseph Adler or his talented cast have done but because the play itself doesn’t make that involving, transcendent leap.

In the GableStage production, Hoffman gets to demonstrate his versatility as he plays the unyielding Aryeh, Aryeh’s warmer brother, the elderly Rebbe and the outspoken Jacob Kahn, a non-observant Jew who becomes Asher’s artistic mentor. The actor uses a number of Hebrew words and phrases, only some of which are clear in context (the repeated Ribbono shel Oylom is not). Turnbull has a brief turn as a nude model and a far more interesting one as Anna Schaeffer, a gallery owner who becomes Asher’s enthusiastic dealer. As Rivkeh, she is somewhat constrained by the way the character is written, fussing and mourning and worrying as Rivkeh tries unsuccessfully to please her judgmental husband and headstrong son.

Except when he’s playing Asher as a child, BenShlomo paints a portrait of a tightly wound artist, an observant Jew determined to follow the dictates of his “gift” no matter what the cost. Feeling empathy for this Asher, in the face of his emotional coolness and hurtful behavior, becomes difficult. Nor does it help that, despite all the talk of his genius and controversial subject matter, none of the character’s art makes an appearance in the play.

Bill Hirschman reviewed for Florida Theater On Stage:

Like walking toward a great work of art at the end of a hallway, the magnificence of GableStage’s production of My Name Is Asher Lev grows slowly as you approach it, as you spend time with it, delving deeper until the accumulated detail of its brushstrokes reveals its full splendor.

…director Joseph Adler and a trio of actors — Avi Hoffman at the top of his game, Laura Turnbull and a revelatory performance by young Etai BenShlomo – elevate the raw material into a night that audiences will talk about several seasons hence.

As usual, GableStage’s reliable roster of designers deliver an evocative environment that is essential but never calls attention to itself.

Roger Martin reviewed for miamiartzine:

I celebrate no particular deity although I understand the need. Which means I watched My Name is Asher Lev at GableStage with less enthusiasm than 95% of the audience... And this raises the question: should a piece be critiqued solely as it stands for a particular sector of society or should the ramifications of its appeal to a broader audience determine its worth?

Etai Benshlomo, Avi Hoffman and Laura Turnbull are three terrific actors and they are at their best in this tale of parental disapproval in an Hasidic Jewish family.

The play's structure and its insularity aside, My Name is Asher Lev is typical of GableStage productions: excellent.

Hap Erstein reviewed for Palm Beach ArtsPaper:

It is an empowering idea for an Hasidic Jew struggling with the conflict between the faith he was brought up in and the artwork which pours out of him and offends his parents and the orthodox community.

Those seemingly polar opposites of art and religion are at the core of Chaim Potok’s 1972 novel, My Name is Asher Lev, adapted for the stage by Aaron Posner and now receiving an evocative production at GableStage. It is easy to see why this spare, but potent play became an off-Broadway hit, steeped in the struggles of a young man blessed — or cursed — with a gift for drawing.

The play’s success rests on the shoulders of the actor playing Asher, and BenShlomo handles the assignment with assurance.

Hoffman is aptly stern and unbending, yet loving as Aryeh and, in contrast, passionate and ebullient as Kahn, Asher’s surrogate father. Rivkeh could get lost in the war of wills between father and son, but Turnbull manages to leave her mark on the production as a woman caught in the crossfire.

Joseph Adler directs the play’s Southeastern premiere with a gentle touch, knowing that the familial emotions are so potent they need no underlining. My Name is Asher Lev may be steeped in Judaism, but its personal drama brims with universality.

My Name is Asher Lev plays at GableStage through December 22, 2013.