Mondays are Dark

It’s the first Monday of autumn, and the first Monday of the 2015-2016 Theater Season, so there are quite a few stories this week. 

And lets’ be honest; we got a little lazy over the summer, so there are a number of stories that we didn’t get around to posting before.

So it’s time for another installment of Mondays Are Dark, your weekly reading list of news stories of relevance to theatre in South Florida.

Marquee Theater Company: Aida (reviews)

The Marquee Theater Company opened its production of Aida at the West Boca Performing Arts Theater on September 25, 2015.

Based on the opera by Giuseppe Verdi, Elton John and Time Rice's Aida is a timeless story of ill-fated lovers whose “…destiny ignited by an act of war”. Featuring an award-winning pop/rock score from the seasoned duo who brought musical life to Disney’s The Lion King, Aida is an epic tale of love, loyalty and betrayal chronicling the relationship between an Egyptian Captain and a Nubian Princess that transcends warring nations and brings a country together.

Andrew Schultz directed a cast that included Darcy Hernandez, Alexandria Lugo, Bruno Faria, Nathan Mays, Elijah Wood, Robert Geils, and Victoria Anderson, with choreography by Ben Solmor.

The Scene for September 25, 2015

We really thought that the rainy season happened during the summer in South Florida.  But it seems like every drop of rain has waited for Autumn to arrive to take the plunge.
  
Speaking of the change of seasons, the 2015-2016 Theatre Seasons is starting to build up steam, and it’s only going to build.  New plays and new companies are popping up all over this corner of the Sunshine State.  And we like it!
    

Here’s what’s playing this week on The Scene:

Alliance Theatre: The Aliens (reviews)

The Alliance Theatre Lab opened its production of The Aliens at Barry University’s Pelican Theater, through October 4.

Two angry young men sit behind a Vermont coffee shop and discuss music and Bukowski. When a lonely high-school student arrives on the scene, they decide to teach him everything they know. A play with music about friendship, art, love and death.

Adalberto J. Acevedo directed a cast that featured Carlos Aleyto, Kristian Bicik, and Daniel Gil.

The Scene for September 18, 2015

The days are getting shorter and darker; no wait, that’s just the storms we’ve been enduring all week.  The days aren’t THAT short and dark, yet. 

 

But with all the rain, it’s a good excuse to sit inside a nice, dry, theater and take in a show.  Yes, it’s a quiet week for theatre this week, but that’s not the same as no theatre.  There’s a fine selection of shows to be seen.

    

Here’s what’s playing this week on The Scene:

SMDCAC: Tsunami (reviews)

The University of Miami opened the world premiere of Tsunami at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center on September 12, 2015.

Tsunami is a poignant docudrama that introduces the resilient people behind the front-page horrors of the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami disaster. These transformative stories, presented by a variety of actors from different cultures, portray unforgettable tales of survival, magic, and a heightened reverence for life. Written by Nilo Cruz & Michiko Kitayama Skinner.

Nilo Cruz directed a cast that included Serafin Falcon, Andy Barbosa, Jeremiah Musgrove, Ben Prayz, Jennifer Burke and Maha McCain.

Broward Stage Door: The Fantasticks (reviews)

Broward Stage Door opened its production of The Fantasticks on September 4, 2015.

It is a funny and romantic musical about a boy, a girl, two fathers and a wall. The narrator, El Gallo, asks the audience to use their imagination and follow him into a world of moonlight and magic. The boy and the girl fall in love, grow apart, and finally find their way back to each other after realizing the truth in El Gallo's words that "without a hurt, the heart is hollow”. The famous score, which includes the classics “Try To Remember”, “They Were You” and “Soon It's Gonna Rain”, is as timeless as the story itself.

Dan Kelly directed a cast that included Alan Gerstel, Pedro Kaawaloa, Larry Kent Bramble, Michael Small, Molly Anne Ross, Alexander Zenoz, Sebastian Lombardo, and Pierre Tannous.

The Scene for September 11, 2015

Last weekend was Labor Day, this weekend is Rosh Hashanah, but plays are still gracing South Florida stages across the region.

This weekend marks the tenth anniversary of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, and they are celebrating all day Saturday with ArtsLaunch. Click through the link to see the schedule of events.

 
Falling between weekends next week is Double Indemnity, a live radio version of the 1944 film, being staged at Arts Garage next Thursday and Friday.

    

Here’s what’s playing this week on The Scene:

Outré Theatre: Bed & Sofa (reviews)

Outré Theatre opened its production of Bed & Sofa at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on August 28, 2015.

One of the most acclaimed productions of its season, this enchanting three-character “silent movie opera” (based on Abram Room’s scandalous 1926 Russian film comedy) premiered at the Vineyard Theatre in New York, where it received two Obie awards and seven Drama Desk nominations, including Best Musical. In Moscow, in 1926, a housing crisis rages. In a cramped apartment, Ludmilla, a put-upon housewife, lives in dreamy complacency with her cheerful despot of a husband, Kolya. When Kolya’s handsome comrade, Volodya, arrives from the country, but can find no lodgings, Kolya offers him their sofa.

Skye Whitcomb directed a cast that featured Noah Levin, Rebeca Dias, and Elvin Negron.  Sabrina Lynn Gore was the assistant director, with musical direction by Caryl Fantel.

Thinking Cap Theater: Waiting for Waiting for Godot (reviews)

Thinking Cap Theatre opened its production of Waiting for Waiting for Godot at the Vanguard on August 28, 2015.

Don't miss the Southeastern Premiere of this hilarious backstage comedy about two understudies waiting to go in a production of Samuel Beckett's modern classic Waiting for Godot.  Written by Dave Hanson, a former joke writer for Late Night with Chelsea Handler, this new work premiered at the New York Fringe Festival in 2013 and swept the festival, winning Best of the Fringe.

Margaret Ledford directed a cast that featured Scott Douglass Wilson, Mark Duncan, and Vanessa Elise.