Theater Reviews – Theatrical Musings

MARGATE, Fla. — There are times when we like bad, even horrible people. Look no further than musicals such as “Peter Pan” (who doesn’t like, or at least have fun with Captain Hook?) “Chicago,” “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” and “Sweeney Todd.” Characters in these types of shows…

WILTON MANORS, Fla. — Like a speeding bulldozer crushing everything in its path, a nightmarish past comes barreling back into the lives of two lesbians about to get married in “Son,” a new work by playwright James L. Beller Jr. The promising new play, which needs work, is receiving its…

Their music has become so well-known and popular that a song barely begins before thunderous clapping fills the auditorium. During a recent performance, the audience’ clapping was so loud and sustained at various points that hands, no doubt, turned as red as roses offered with love on Valentine’s Day. Roughly…

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Imagine that a bunch of folks have hoisted you into the air with your stomach facing down. They’re engaged in a tug-of-war of sorts with you and the groups oppose each other: One group pulls you hard by the right arm, another by the left arm,…

WEST PALM BEACH — Some plays require preparation before seeing them, even for the most sophisticated theatergoers. You can’t just walk into the theater knowing nothing about the work and expect to be able to easily follow it without getting frustrated. Tom Stoppard’s Olivier-Award-winning “Arcadia” is such a work. If…

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The two characters with opposing views in “Dry Powder,” a scorching, relevant, riveting and unpredictable comic-drama set in the high-stakes world of big-city finance, might as well wear protective helmets and faceguards. There’s enough verbal combat to leave the combatants bloody and bruised if the power…

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — If you need extra incentive to advocate for arts funding in the wake of the proposed elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities as part of President Trump’s budget, what better way to receive that added drive than by…

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — You might have seen the 1977 Italian, Academy Award-nominated film “A Special Day” (“Una Giornata Particolare” in Italian). But you likely haven’t seen it performed on stage in the ingenious manner Miami New Drama is presenting the comic, touching story. You have four more chances to…

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Ft. Lauderdale-based Slow Burn Theatre Company demonstrates why it received 12 Carbonell Award nominations this year through its strong production of “Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” It’s easy to gloss over the musical’s flaws with the talent on display on the Broward Center for…

Sheldon Harnick’s mind was stuck on a lyric, but his body was on the move. He walks or finds other ways to get moving to free his creative process when he’s suffering a case of writer’s block. A truck was also in motion. It was headed toward the award-winning, legendary…