West Palm Beach Archives – Theatrical Musings

Photo by Curtis Brown Photography Bill Hayes (standing) plays Norman, the dresser for Actor-Manager Sir (Colin McPhillamy) By AARON KRAUSE While Ronald Harwood’s celebrated play The Dresser offers a backstage glimpse of live theater, ultimately the piece is not about the art form, according to Bill Hayes. “It is…

By AARON KRAUSE When you hear the name Neil Simon, perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is comedy. Indeed, the late great playwright’s early work is most notable for, among other things, snappy one-liners. But Simon’s talent extends beyond his ability to make people laugh. This is…

Photo by Tim Stepien Judge Francis Biddle (Dennis Creaghan) and his secretary, Sarah Schorr (Kelly McCready) struggle to get along early on in Joanna McClelland Glass’s historical drama, Trying. By AARON KRAUSE If you look closely at the program for Palm Beach Dramaworks’ (PBD) polished and poignant production of…

Photo by Tim Stepien Clearly, Willy and Linda Loman love each other, as is evident in this photo. Rob Donohoe plays Willy, while Helena Ruoti portrays Linda in Palm Beach Dramaworks’ potent current production. By AARON KRAUSE Attention must be paid Palm Beach Dramaworks’ emotionally powerful professional production of…

Photo by Alicia Donelan (From left) Lindsey Corey, Diana Garle, Niki Fridh, Barbara Sloan (with gavel), and Karen Stephens in The Cancellation of Lauren Fein. By AARON KRAUSE “We don’t need you to tell us about (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). We live it,” the title character says in Christopher…

While the professional, non-profit theater company, Palm Beach Dramaworks (PBD) remains committed to developing and producing new plays, the name for the company’s annual readings of new scripts in January has changed. The event, formerly the New Year/New Plays Festival, is now called the Perlberg Festival of New…

Photo by Alicia J. Donelan Angela Gulner, Gracie Winchester, Margery Lowe, and Annie Fang appear in a scene from The Messenger at Palm Beach Dramaworks. By AARON KRAUSE Jenny Connell Davis’s vital new play, The Messenger may be the most important piece of live theater that you experience in…