Empire Stage Archives – Theatrical Musings

Photo courtesy of Art Buzz Theatrics and Florida Theatrical Events Shelby (Alexandra Van Hasselt, front) and Clairee (Elissa D. Solomon) laugh during an upbeat scene from a South Florida co-production of the Robert Harling comedy-drama, Steel Magnolias. By AARON KRAUSE In the script for his funny and moving 1980’s-set…

Photo courtesy of ArtBuzz Theatrics and Empire Stage The women of Sordid Lives are eccentric yet well-meaning. By AARON KRAUSE In a scene from the hilarious and moving hit play, Sordid Lives, a small-town Texas therapist in 1998 tries to “dehomosexualize” a gay male transvestite. The scene, which may…

Photo by Amy Mahon Lily Harrison (Lory Reyes) is clearly not pleased as Michael Minetti (Larry Buzzeo) is comically over-the-top. By AARON KRAUSE Since its Los Angeles premiere and Broadway opening, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks has undergone translations into 14 languages and traversed the globe with productions…

Photo by Carol Kassie The ghost of Elliot Weiss (Murphy Hayes) tries to express himself but Asher (Eytan Deray) is having none of it. By AARON KRAUSE If you were blessed with an Elliott Weiss in your life, Educating Asher, a heartfelt and humorous new play, will touch you…

Photo by Carol Kassie Helen Wheeler (Beverly Blanchette) and Elmer (Michael Gioia) share a moment in Pigs Do Fly Productions’ mounting of Helen on Wheels. By AARON KRAUSE Few among us can resist feisty, foul-mouthed septuagenarians such as Helen Wheeler. We find them funny because, well, we do…

FT. LAUDERDALE –For the majority of us, our parents are among the closest, most familiar, dear and rock-solid support people in our lives. They made us, after all. Without us even knowing it, however, our parents can take on other characteristics: unpredictable, mystifying and scary. We may wonder: Which characteristics and…