GableStage goes to Coconut Grove - UPDATED

The Miami Herald reports that the Coconut Grove Playhouse Board of Directors has reached an agreement with GableStage and Joe Adler to operate a theatre on the site of the historic Coconut Grove Playhouse. UPDATE - A second article contains the same information, but more comments.

What should be understood is that Coconut-Grove-Playhouse-the-building has not been saved:

Using $20 million in designated Miami-Dade County capital-improvement funds from a 2004 bond measure, the plan is to replace the 1,100-seat Coconut Grove Playhouse with a 300-seat theater and a ``footprint'' for a larger 600-seat theater.

The building's facade would be preserved but might be incorporated into whatever the Aries Development Group, with which the Playhouse board has an agreement, decides to build on the property. Condos, a parking garage, shops and restaurants have all been discussed as potential elements for the property at Main Highway and Charles Avenue. It's possible neither theater would be within the facade.
- Miami Herald

As the Theatre Scene has been reporting all along, the original structure of the Playhouse is beyond salvaging. It makes no fiscal sense to pour tens of millions of dollars to attempt to rehabilitate the building. So this is bad news for those who wanted to simply renovate the existing facility. Only the exterior facade will remain.

But it's great news for Joe Adler and Gablestage, which have been severely constrained in their tiny space at the Biltmore Theatre. The Theatre Scene has also been saying all along that it would take a galvanizing figure to bring theatre to the Grove. And no artistic director fits the bill better than Joe Adler.

"For me, this really is the fulfillment of a lifetime dream,'' said Adler, who won the second of nine directing Carbonell Awards for staging The Shadow Box at the Playhouse thirty years ago. "This should be a flagship theater and one of the leading regional theaters in the United States. We deserve that, and we'll support the actors, directors and playwrights who want to create work in South Florida.''
- Miami Herald

Grove residents have been adamantly opposed to redevelopment plans in the past; it remains to be seen whether they will set aside their passionate opposition to demolishing the historic Playhouse to replace it with a smaller and more manageable venue for an existing company, even the award-winning and widely praised GableStage.

But it sounds like Joe Adler is already on top of winning over his soon-to-be-neighbors:

Given the economic struggles of Coconut Grove merchants and restaurants without the Playhouse to help attract business, Adler and GableStage plan to present events -- plays, family theater, music and comedy -- on an outdoor stage in the existing theater's parking lot later this season. Adler says the Coconut Grove events won't be regular GableStage productions but rather "things that might appeal to different segments of the audience.''
- Miami Herald

The article says nothing about when and if the current Playhouse board will step down in favor of the GableStage board. The Playhouse board still has to settle a debt of nearly $4 million dollars; it will not be passed on to the new management. But by having GableStage present programming associated with the Playhouse can only make it easier for the board to raise funds to retire the debt.

"We'll have time to put everything in place and do it right,'' Adler said. ``The Coconut Grove Playhouse is the most recognizable theater name in the Southeast. This can truly be a phoenix rising from the ashes.''
- Miami Herald

Best wishes from the Theatre Scene to Joe Adler, his staff, and his board. Our advice to Coconut Grove: embrace Joe Adler and his theatre company; he is the man best suited to bring world-class theatre back to the Grove.

Read more...

Mondays Are Dark - UPDATED

UPDATE: found two articles about Wonderland, the musical written by South Floridian Frank Wildhorn, and featuring South Floridian Janet Dacal. The first one is here, and the second one is here.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday! Here's something to read over your Turkey sandwich. (Best recipe: turkey, a thin layer of stuffing, tangy cole slaw, and cranberry sauce).

Key West Theatre Reaches 70
BroadwayWorld.com reports that the Waterfront Playhouse in Key West is opening its 70th season. In January, Rich Simone will be directing Lela Elam in No Child.... Elam recieved raves for her performance in the GableStage production last season.

Lost in Yonkers
Rosemary Prinz will be starring in the Neil Simon classic Lost in Yonkers. Ms. Prinz sat down with Leslie Gray Streeter of the Palm Beach Post, and also spoke with Carol Saunders of the TCPalm.com.

Not Reading
OK, so it's not technically reading, but here's an interview with Stephanie Ansin of The Playground Theatre on WFOR Channel 4 news.

Holiday Drag
Mario Betto, creator of the musical Combing through Life's Tangles and member of SouthFloridaTheatre.com, is the Fort Lauderdale Theatre Examiner. His first story: Christopher Peterson in Eyecons at Rising Action Theatre.

What's Worse than Presenting A Poor Picture?
Andrew Haydon of The Guardian hits the nail on the head:

Here's a question: when could you last tell what a theatre production actually looked like from its photograph alone?

Promotional photos put the face on your production, and too often all we get is a picture of actors. We should be able to see the entire show summarized in the one shot. Admittedly, that's no simple task. But hey, in our business, what is simple? The most effective photos I've seen are those taken during a dress rehearsal; the worst are those of the actors taken out of context.

I know I've worked productions where the producer insisted on getting promo shots within the first few days of production. While I certainly understand the need to get pictures in the press, the resulting images of actors who haven't yet created their characterizations posing in costumes that have barely been pinned together on some cobbled-together setting don't serve the production. They present an image of something poorly assembled.

Who says that you can only send out one batch of photos? The first week, send out shots of actors standing in front of the direct with books in hand. The second week, show an actor in a fitting. Finally, send out shots from a dress rehearsal. The press gets a stream of fresh and topical images, patrons get a sense of progress, the theatre has its best face on at all times.

Send them to the Scene: we'll put them up.

Painting a False Picture
As long as we're in the UK, the BBC reports that the Wyndam Theatre is being sued for false advertising for quoting a critic on their poster for their stage version of The Shawshank Redemption:

A Wyndhams Theatre poster said a critic called their show a "superbly gripping, genuinely uplifting prison drama".

But Daily Telegraph reviewer Charles Spencer said he had used those words to describe the film, which he suggested was superior to the theatre production.

There has been no ruling as yet, but it's a cautionary tale for any theatre promoting an adaptation. I've seen a few premiere productions with quotes attached; we all want to show that our work has merit. But we shouldn't give the impression that these comments are about our productions if they were made about someone else's.

Chase-ing dollars on Facebook
1st Draft reports that Chase Bank and Facebook have teamed up to help raise funds for select community organizations - including Florida Stage.

Read more...

The Scene for Thanksgiving Weekend 2009

A special early edition of The Scene, because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Have a lovely Thursday, but I hope you have a chance to see some theatre this weekend; there are a lot of great offerings available. And I think we should all be thankful for that!

I'm thankful that most of the theatres that were with us last year are still open and putting on plays, despite the economic hardships. I'm glad that people are coming out to see plays.

---

opening:

The M Ensemble had to delay its opening of Gem of the Ocean when their air conditioning system was stolen. Really. They open Friday, November 27, and it plays through December 20

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still playing:

26 Miles opens at New Theatre on Nov 19, and runs through Dec 20

Christopher Durang's Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them opens Thursday at the Mosaic Theatre, and plays through Dec 13.

Cantorial opens Friday at the Broward Stage Door Theatre and plays through January 3.

David Mamet's adaptation of The Voysey Inheritance plays at the Caldwell Theatre Company through December 13.

Laffing Matterz runs Thursday-Sunday at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, through June.

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last chance to see...

The Naked Stage presents Macon City: A Comic Book Play through November 29.

Two Jews Walk Into A War... at Florida Stage, through Nov 29.

Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House at Palm Beach DramaWorks plays through Nov 29.

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for kids
Actors' Playhouse runs its production of Madeline's Christmas at The Miracle Theatre through December 26th, 2009.

Inanna and the Huluppu Tree returns to the Playground Theatre, through December 20.

Read more...

Mosaic Theatre: Why Torture is Wrong and the People who Love Them (4 reviews)

Mosaic Theatre opened its production of Christopher Durang's Why Torture Is Wrong, And The People Who Love Them on November19, 2009.

Christopher Durang turns political humor upside down with this raucous and provocative satire about America's growing homeland "insecurity." It's the story of a young woman suddenly in crisis: Is her new husband, whom she married when drunk, a terrorist? Or just crazy? Or both? Is her father's hobby of butterfly collecting really a cover for his involvement in a shadow government? Why does her mother enjoy going to the theater so much? Does she seek mental escape, or is she insane?

Richard Jay Simon directed a cast that included Barbara Bradshaw, David Corey, Nick Duckart, Erik Fabregat, Sharon Kremen, Christian Rockwell, and Pamela Roza.

The Sun-Sentinel has declined to review this production.*

Hap Erstien reviewed for the Palm Beach ArtsPaper:

Plantation’s Mosaic Theatre has excellent taste in playwrights, but it is much more erratic when it comes to selecting plays from their catalogues. The result is second-rate work from such first-rate writers as John Patrick Shanley (Dirty Story), Neil LaBute (Wrecks) and now Christopher Durang (Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them).

Resident scenic designer Sean McClelland has come up with an attractive series of sets that satisfy Durang’s multiple-location requirements, and director Richard Jay Simon knits the wackiness into as cohesive a whole as possible.

But it does make one wonder what Mosaic Theatre could come up with if it selected a play worthy of the care and attention it has lavished on Why Torture Is Wrong.

J.W. Arnold reviewed for MiamiArtzine.com (scroll down):

Durang’s script is smart—chock full of sexual innuendo, theater jokes only an insider can truly appreciate, and plenty of political commentary—but, most importantly, it’s funny, eliciting sidesplitting laughter at every ridiculous turn. A well-rounded, even cast is required to pull off Durang’s humor and director Simon’s team delivers on all counts as each character, in turn, contributes to the zany antics.

Kremen and Duckart deliver strong performances, forced to serve as the “straight guys” for the jokes unfolding around them. It’s Corey and Bradshaw who steal the show with Durang’s outrageous caricatures of the 1950s sitcom father and mother.

Kudos also go to Rockwell, Roza and Fabregat for their colorful, cartoonish portrayals in the vital supporting roles.

Sean McClelland once again contributes an imaginative set that reveals surprises as quickly as Durang’s script dishes them out and Matt Corey’s sound design effectively sets the mood for the “drama” that unfolds

Brandon K. Thorp reviewed for the Broward/Palm Beach New Times; it's not one of his better efforts. It's written like a film review instead of a theatre review. That is, he does not separate what works because of the scrip versus what works because of this production's interpretation of that script. In a film, where everyone will always be referring to the same production, that's acceptable. But in theatre, every production will have a different result, and part of the critic's job is to identify which is the script (or the playwright), and which is due to the interpretation (the director, design team, and cast). That said, it's a good read. But we're left wondering was it the writing he liked, or the performance of that writing?

Durang... writes dark comedies, but we laugh at them more because we are nervous than because they are funny. (Though they're funny too.) We are nervous because so many of Durang's characters... say things that people shouldn't say and are blithely unaware that their words have consequences.

Somebody behind me in the auditorium groaned, and I sympathized entirely: Only the first scene, and we're already into woman-beating mode. Why Torture could be a very grim slog.

It isn't, because we soon adapt to Durang's bizarro world. We learn its alien rhythms and emotional physics, which keep its characters leaping from sweetness to violence and back again as lithely as grasshoppers on the moon. We adjust because Durang's world is the one bubbling just beneath the surface of our own. All id, no superego; all honesty, no hedging.

The minister who officiated is also a porn producer, Reverend Mike (Christian Rockwell, in the most likably sleazy performance of the year).

Bradshaw's Luella is even weirder, if possible, and I suspect she's the sole force keeping this nervous comedy coherent. She's simultaneously funnier and scarier than any other character in the show... Bradshaw expresses her vacancy and diminution in a tour-de-force performance that's equal parts Bette Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, Terry Schiavo, and pure originality.

Christine Dolen reviewed for the Miami Herald:

The absurdist script is funny and smart, yet hardly buoyant. It's sometimes weighed down by its specifics... Such references, as horrifying or hilarious as they are when the play debuts, cause it to date faster.

At Mosaic, director Richard Jay Simon and a cast full of masterful comic actors work overtime to keep Durang's nutty romp percolating.

The cast is uniformly fine, but Bradshaw's dazed Luella (who knits even when unconscious) and Corey's deranged Leonard are a comically perfect pair. And Fabregat, whose shadow government code name is ``Looney Tunes,'' makes like Sybil as he channels the Road Runner, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn and more, even cartoonishly defying the laws of gravity at just the right moment.

Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them provides both laughs and astute social/political observation. But it is also, at times, as unwieldy as its title.

Ron Levitt reviewed for ENV Magazine:

The satirical, often-hilarious story, a topnotch cast, astute direction, and an outstanding set all add up to a rather pleasant couple of hours.

Yes, it is funny. Yeah, it has a great cast and cleverly appointed direction. Obviously, the playwright is over-the-top (who else could imagine such a group of screwy characters?) Did we mention, outstanding lighting by Jeff Quinn, great sound technician ability by Matt Corey, and a surprising set by Sean McClelland?

If there is a single word to describe “Torture,” it might be ‘absurd.” Bradshaw could have this play in mind when the script calls for her to say, ”I don’t know what normal is; that’s why I go to the theatre.”

Why Torture Is Wrong, And The People Who Love Them plays at Mosaic Theatre through December 13, 2009.

Read more...

Stage Door Theatre: Cantorial (2 reviews)

Broward Stage Door opened its production of Ira Levin's Cantorial on November 20, 2009.

A young couple hears eerie, hauntingly beautiful Hebrew singing when they move into a new condominium. Unbeknownst to them, their condo is a former synagogue, and is haunted by the ghost of its Cantor...

Michael Leeds directs a cast that includes Danielle Tabino, Todd Bruno, Konstantine Athinos, Glen Lawrence, and Kevin Reilley.

J.W. Arnold reviewed for MiamiArtzine.com:

There are no poltergeists and few chills or thrills in Cantorial. Instead, there is a singing ghost who is annoying at best to the new residents...

Despite the flaws in a shallow script and some mismanaged expectations, Cantorial—and this Stage Door production, in particular—is an entertaining show.

Under the direction of Michael Leeds, Bruno successfully conveys the heartfelt, if naïve, desire Warren feels to reconcile his roots with the reality of his situation, and Tabino is charming as his exasperated girlfriend.

Kevin Reilley finds himself once again playing the Jewish elder... The largely Jewish audience seemed to approve of his extended Yiddish diatribes with plenty of laughter and audible commentary. Konstantine Afthinos (Quinn) provides some needed comic relief as a cartoonish ghost hunter...

Bill Hirschman reviewed for the Sun-Sentinel:

Broward Stage Door's edition under the direction of Michael Leeds occasionally strafes close to the right recipe, but never nails it.

The performances are serviceable, but the actors never play more than one character note at a time and none are convincing. The couple (Todd Bruno and Danielle Tabino) are never unnerved by the haunting, only put out by the imposition. Their reaction sets the first act solidly in sit-com country. Only Kevin Reilley gets close to the right tone as the aging grocer who once attended services here

Cantorial plays at the Broward Stage Door Theatre through January 3, 2010.

Read more...

Naked Stage: Macon City, A Comic Book Play (5 Reviews)

Naked Stage opened the world premier of Marco Ramirez' Macon City: A Comic Book Play on November 13, 2009.

Set in a fictitious American Metropolis, Macon City chronicles the lives of several local denizens as they struggling to survive in a decaying city, long-since abandoned by the Defenders, a super-powered team of crime-fighters. Macon City promises to be one of the most exciting productions of the season.

John Manzelli directs a cast that includes David Hemphill, Scott Genn, Hugh Murphy, Alyn Darnay, and Jasmine Fluker. Set design by Antonio Amadeo, and sound design by Matt Corey.

High school senior Alexis Scheer shares her thoughts on her blog, Lex's Playground; we don't often include blogs or student reviews, but it seems relevant in this case:

In a world darker and grimier than the sketchiest alley in Downtown Miami was a city. A dark and grimy city known as Macon City. It's a place where the sidewalks eat people alive, the "Defenders" are long gone, and there are no tickets out. Marco Ramirez writes Macon City: A Comic Book Play, a piece delightfully geared to a younger demographic.

Fluker welcomes us to this desolate world, and delivers almost like a spoken word artist. She does best as one of Grime's hostages in a sewer, and lets out a blood curdling scream that is STILL giving me chills. Murphy nails the persona of Grime, and succeeds at being really, really creepy. Darnay does a nice job in creating the balance between being "mad" and someone we can feel empathy towards. Hemphill, like in everything I've seen him do, is fantastic. And paired up with Genn, the two are hysterical.

But in the end, the writing and the acting takes a back seat to the superior design elements. Manzelli effectively stages the whole show to make the most of his bedroom-sized stage.

Manzelli and Amadeo both pull out all the stops to make this a visually engaging piece. Matt Corey also designs an exciting soundtrack that stays true to the comic book theme.

Ron Levitt reviewed for Florida Media News (you'll have to scroll down to find it):

Yes, Macon City is off-the-wall insanity disguised as a tale but the brilliant John Manzelli –directed 90 minute play offers some unique prospective from the entire world of theatre; notably examples of fine acting, unique lighting and sound design, and a set (in a small theatre) which is imaginative, professional and surprising.

Antonio Amadeo has created one of the most decadent sets for this comic effort – trap doors, moving structures, gushing vapors, something that looks like a venus fly-trap – a decaying metropolis long abandoned by some unnamed crime-fighting super –hero.

Scott Genn and David Hemphill – prove once again why they are in such demand by tri-county theatres. Both give strong performances along with veteran actors Hugh Murphy and Alyn Darnay -- both of whom show how villainous characters can dominate the stage when they are front and center, seething with venom.

Hap Erstein reviewed for the Palm Beach ArtsPaper (it's a three-fer; you may have to scroll down):

If you want to be reminded that the best theater can be distilled down to “a plank and a passion,” the Pelican Theatre (home of the Naked Stage) in Miami Shores is where you want to be.

Like graphic novels, Ramirez writes dialogue in capital letters, where subtlety is not a consideration. But he has able collaborators in set designer Antonio Amadeo and especially director Jon Manzelli, who transform his skeletal words into dazzling images. The effect is like a trailer for a summer movie that you are drawn to see.

No, Macon City is not for the Eugene O’Neill crowd, but if you want to see something with brawn that attracts that South Florida Holy Grail -- a young, eager audience -- check out what Naked Stage is up to.

Brandon K. Thorp reviewed for the Miami New Times:

If Macon City: A Comic Book Play were running anywhere in South Florida other than the Naked Stage, it would probably fall on its ass. Its very premise might be too much for local audiences to accept.

The company is uniquely situated to make it work either because the members don't take themselves seriously or because they take themselves completely seriously.

Macon City's history is never specifically articulated; rather, its shapes suggest themselves through Antonio Amadeo's darkly giddy post-apocalyptic set and the strange sci-fi/impressionist poetry of a narrator.

The jarringly lovely Jasmine Fluker plays the narrator, billed as "Caption" in the program... Soon, as other actors enter and a plot forms, Fluker begins shapeshifting. She presses herself into a trash heap to take on the persona of an old homeless man, or morphs into a young girl trapped in a sewer. What began as simple gawkiness begins to look like a kind of interpretive dance...

...forget the story. It hardly matters. More important is Antonio Amadeo's set, which turns a stage barely bigger than a bathroom into a wonderland of dark alleys, sludge-filled sewers, and filthy hidden laboratories. Then there's John Manzelli's directing, which ekes out of this cast performances big and bold enough to make the material look daring.

Everyone in Macon City is fine, but Alyn Darnay and Hugh Murphy — who play Dr. Wells and the evil mayor — are on fire. Murphy, who bears a more than passing resemblance to John Lithgow, looks like he has waited his whole life to be so bad. His manic laughter stretches his jaws so wide it appears he's trying to eat the audience.

Christine Dolen reviewed for the Miami Herald:

Naked Stage, a professional company based at Barry University, brings Macon City to life with such crazily creative glee that you can't help grinning as the production's surprises are revealed.

...the cast achieves the right tonal balance between playing comic book types and being real people telling an engaging story. As Grime, Murphy hits the play's most over-the-top role out of the park.

Macon City: A Comic Book Play makes for an exhilarating hour or so of boundary-pushing theater.

The Naked Stage presents Macon City: A Comic Book Play, at Barry University's Pelican Theatre through November 29, 2009.

Read more...

Mondays are Dark

It sees that the South Florida press took off a week early.  Of course, there's not that much South Florida press left to cover theatre.

But we still found enough to compile your weekly reading list.

The Big Break
How'd you get started in Show Biz?  Everyone wants to know!  The Miami Theatre Examiner visits two girls in their first major role, and 1st Draft has stage manager James Danford reflects the start of his carreer under the legendary John Kenley, who died just a few weeks ago at age 103. 

In a strange twist, Jonathon Wemette of Florida Stage sent me a link to Minnesota Play List, and the featured story was about breaking into theatre.

Beating the Drum
Drama Queen Christine Dolen has been singing the praises of Miami's Tarell Alvin McRaney for over a year.  Unlike numerous other South Florida playwrights, no South Florida  producer has mounted one of McRaney's plays. What are they waiting for?  MORE raves in the New York Times?  Or maybe the play would need to be extended?  What would it take?

World Premiere Play at New Theatre
The Miami Theatre Examiner tells us about 26 Miles at New Theatre.  So does the Coral Gables Gazette.

Ken Clement IS Santa Claus...or is he?
Read about the Actors' Playhouse production of Another Night Before Christmas at BroadwayWorld.com.  The play features Clement and the very talented Irene Adjan. 

Copenhagen in Palm Beach
BroadwayWorld.com reports on the Palm Beach DramaWorks production of Michael Frayn's Copenhagen.  It opens on December 18th, with previews on the 16th and 17th.

Wilton Manors Theatre
As previously reported, the Wilton Manors Theatre, aka the 26th Street Playhouse, aka Stagedoor East, aka Brian C. Smith's Off-Broadway Theatre, is now home to an auction house.  But you can peak at the inside on ItsJustLight.  The lobby finally looks good!

A Pat on the Back
Parabasis has been examining the relationship between theatres and critics.  In the comments section the Theatre Scene gets a nice pat on the back:

For an example of the devaluation of the theatre critic, one newspaper in my area (South Florida) has routinely sent out the fashion editor to review plays, and the result has been poorly written, insubstantive reviews; CL Jahn over at the South Florida Theatre Scene blog has done a nice job of analyzing (and thereby sparking positive changes in) theatre reviews in the region.

Thanks, Nicole!  And here's another plug for Drama,Daily.  It's on my reading list, and you'll find it linked in the SoFla Theatre Blogs section.

Wonderland Opens in Tampa
BroadwayWorld.com runs down the facts on this Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure, starring South Florida's own Janet Dacal.

Read more...

Deep in November, it's Good to Remember

Today marks 21 years since the passing of the woman that former Florida governor Fuller Warren dubbed "the First Lady of South Florida Theatre," the legendary Ruth Foreman. She was 81.

Mrs. Foreman produced theater in Florida for about 40 years... Her productions won many local theater awards.
- NY Times, November 24, 1988

Her productions created the environment that inspired such awards - indeed, it's safe to say that without Ruth Foreman, there would be no theatre scene in South Florida. And it's not only about putting on plays: Ruth always had workshops and classes going on, as well as a talent agency to help her students land work in the occasional movie or commercial shot in South Florida.

She has one film role to her credit: 1954's Shark River.

Lemonade in the Lobby
Foreman more or less gave birth to the South Florida Theatre Scene in 1949 when she and her husband took over the Roosevelt Theater in Miami Beach. She took to calling it "The Lemonade Theater," because that's what she served during intermission. In a 1988 interview, she told Lisa Gibbs of the Miami Herald that the first two years of rent was paid by no one less than Howard Hughes.

"When I was a junior high school student on Miami Beach, Ruth was running an acting school for kids on Arthur Godfrey Road (next to the Roosevelt Theatre). Howard Hughes had an office in the same building."
- Joe Adler, Artistic Director, GableStage

Originally a first-run movie house, it wasn't long before she started putting on plays, starting with kids shows by her Pied Piper Players, and other projects.

Borscht Capades was the creation of Mickey Katz, who took the show around the country. His co-star was his 17-year-old son. The show moved on to New York, and the son went on to great success as Joel Grey.

The Roosevelt was presenting plays as late as 1968, when Don Ameche and Robert Q. Lewis performed in The Odd Couple, but by 1955 Ruth had already moved on to her next venue. The Roosevelt eventually went back to playing movies - dirty ones. It closed as a theatre in the 80's, and is now a thrift store.

Studio M
From the mid 1950s and into the 1960s, Foreman operated out of Studio M in Coral Gables, producing very serious theatre. George Keathley was the director; he went on to direct on Broadway, and to become the Artistic Director of the Kansas City Repertory Theatre.

Studio M produced the world premiere of Tennessee William's Sweet Bird of Youth on April 16, 1956. George Keathley directed Margrit Wyler and Alan Mixon in the lead roles. The playwright was on the scene, tweaking a play that had been titled The Enemy: Time only a few months before.

"All the while this work has been in rehearsal, it has also been undergoing continual changes in dialogue and structure, even in basic theme and interpretation of character. At times Studio M has looked more like a printing press than a theatre, with stacks of re-writes, newly mimeographed, covering the stage and actors looking like a group of dazed proof -readers"
- Tennessee Williams, in the program notes for Sweet Bird of Youth at Studio M.

Williams spent two more years working on the script. In 1959, Elia Kazan cast Paul Newman and Geraldine Page in the Broadway production.

Alan Mixon was a South Floridian who made his stage debut at Studio M, in 1954 , before landing Sweet Bird of Youth. Following the advice of William's agent, Mixon went to New York a short time later, and went on to perform in numerous Broadway productions, films, and TV shows. He was also cast in a number of plays on Broadway by Williams, and became known as a premier interpreter of his work.

Michael Hall, founder of the Caldwell Theatre, shares his memories of Ruth and Studio M:

"It must have been in the 1960s when I first met Ruth. A once-famous actress friend of mine was appearing at Ruth's "Studio M" theater in Miami, and I drove from Ocala, FL, to see her and the play. Back then there almost no professional theaters in Florida aside from the touring houses. Seeing the show, I was knocked out by the professionalism and courageous spirit of Ruth Forman -- and I met her that night and told her so."

"Years later I created the Caldwell Theatre Company in Boca Raton and often commiserated with Ruth about the challenges of keeping professional theater afloat. The last time I saw her we were in Tallahassee begging politicians to fund the arts, theater in particular.

I am a proud recipient of the Ruth Foreman Award."

Among the well-known actors and actresses appearing at Studio M was Ann Meacham: Joe Adler remembers seeing her perform:

"I remember seeing a production of GLASS MENAGERIE at Studio M, a theatre on Bird Road that Ruth was involved with. It was directed by George Keathley and featured Anne Meacham and Alan Mixon. Although, I never took classes with her, and I never really met her personally during those years, that play had a profound effect on me."

Like Alan Mixon, Ann Meacham would become closely associated with many later productions of his work.

And the plays kept coming.

Hellen Keller was played by Doreen Bernhardt, who appeared on South Florida's "Skipper Chuck Show" as Little Annie Orphanic. Chuck Zink had seen her in Miracle Worker. But that's not the first job Doreen got from her association with Ruth Foreman:

The movie starred Tony Anthony, who later moved to Italy, where he landed starring roles in spaghetti westerns. He is also credited with bringing back the 3-D concept back to low budget films in the 1980s. The film is also known under the title Without Each Other.

Ruth took care of her theatre family; when Tom Blaise, a struggling young actor, announced that he was marrying one of her acting students, Ruth threw them a party.

After 8 years, she left the small space on Bird Road behind, but kept producing shows. In 1966, she was still producing children's shows in borrowed or rented spaces, but that was soon to change. And so was the course of South Florida Theatre.


North Miami Beach Playhouse
The North Miami Playhouse was founded in 1967, and was located at 1603 NE 123rd Street in North Miami. It served as a home for the Pied Piper Players, and she continued teaching courses related to theatre. But it also served as a home for a new entity: The Ruth Foreman Theatre.

Back then, professional theater in South Florida consisted of the Coconut Grove Playhouse, the small Ruth Foreman Theatre in North Miami, the black theater company M Ensemble, Boca Raton's Caldwell Theatre Company, a couple of dinner theaters and touring Broadway shows.
- Christine Dolen, The Miami Herald, 2007

And she still kept in touch with local film companies. In 1972, R&S Film Enterprises released Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny, filmed mostly at Pirate's World in Dania, featuring the Pied Piper Players.


Avi Hoffman had just graduated from the University of Miami when Ruth cast him in Clifford Odet's Awake & Sing in 1981.

"This was my FIRST show out of UM. Ruth called me to ask if I would be interested in playing the lead role of Ralphie. Of course, I said "yes". The twist was that the show opened on TWO days and she was unhappy with the actor playing the role. I actually learned the entire part OVERNIGHT (ah, the folly of youth) and opened 2 days later to rave reviews. I didn't spend much time with her, but I remember her being sweet and very supportive."

The cast of Awake & Sing, 1981

Avi Hoffman, 2nd left in front. Ruth is 2nd from right in front (white blouse)
(photo courtesy of Avi Hoffman)

FIU
Her success continued as she moved operations to a 325 seat theatre at FIU, and became the resident company at the Bay Vista Campus.

It came about at a meeting of the North Miami Mayor's Economic Task Force. Dr. Rose Foster, administrator of the Bay Vista Campus, heard Foreman talk about her children's theater, then at the North Miami Playhouse on NE 123rd Street.

"I was giving a report on our children's theater and she was all eyes," Foreman said. After the meeting, they met to talk about a campus theater. The Ruth Foreman Theatre was conceived.
- Miami Herald, July 1, 1982

Successful doesn't begin to describe it:

In a fickle business where it usually takes three to five seasons to break even, the Ruth Foreman Theatre has done so three months before its second season begins, Foreman said.
- Miami Herald, July 1, 1982

The Ruth Foreman Theater was home to a cornucopia of south florida talent. Everyone who was anyone worked there at some point, it seems. She even lured her long-time rival, Jan McArt, into doing Tennessee William's Sweet Bird of Youth. Jan brought Bob Bogdanoff to direct, and the cast included Kenneth Kay, who recently was appointed by Burt Reynolds to run both his new institute and the Under-the-Bridge Players. It was also Ken Clement's first show


Ruth Foreman West
Within a few years, the company expanded with the creation of Ruth Foreman Theatre West, at the Sunrise Musical Theatre in Broward County. It relocated briefly to the Plantation Theatre after Sunrise was sold, and closed in 1988.

Barry University
Eventually, as FIU's enrollment increased, the university needed the space back, and informed the company that their lease would not be renewed when it expired expired in June 1989. After discussions with Miami Shores, Foreman eventually chose to relocate to Barry University, due partially to the failure of a bond issue that would have covered the costs of converting the Shores Theater into a live performance space. But Foreman maintained she preferred the university setting, and the proximity to the old space - and her subscribers.

The Miami Shores Theater was eventually converted from a movie house; it is now home to the Playground Theatre.

Foreman didn't live to see her theatre perform at Barry University. And half of her subscribers didn't follow the company to its new home. With growing money shortages and lacking Foreman's demanding standards, the company quickly foundered.

"We could have survived have survived Ruth Foreman's illness and death. We could have survived the closing of the Theatre West. We could have survived the move to Barry University adn the loss of half of our subscribers, survived the wearying and expensive litigation over Ruth's estate."

"We could have survived any one or even two of these things. But we could not survive all of it."
- Joan Frank, General Manager of the Ruth Foreman Theater, to the Miami Herald, March 27, 1989

Twelve years after her death, The Carbonell Awards created a special award in her honor. It was created after Kenneth Kay, upon receiving a Carbonell Award, used the occasion to remind the assemblage of her contributions to the South Florida theatre community. In 2001, the Ruth Foreman Award was bestowed on Jan McArt and Bob Bogdanoff.

With over 50 years of producing theater, it's no surprise that so many people working in South Florida theatre started off with Ruth Foreman, or at least had a tremendous career boost by working for her. Her passion and drive gave birth to the South Florida theatre scene - sixty years ago.

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The Scene for November 20, 2009

We seem to be racing through the year; next week is Thanksgiving. A lot of great shows are closing this week, I guess to give folks the holiday weekend. If you haven't seen any of the shows closing this weekend, you're missing some excellent theatre. Get out and see something.

---

opening:

26 Miles opens at New Theatre on Nov 19, and runs through Dec 20

Christopher Durang's Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them opens Thursday at the Mosaic Theatre, and plays through Dec 13.

Cantorial opens Friday at the Broward Stage Door Theatre and plays through January 3.

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still playing:

The Naked Stage presents Macon City: A Comic Book Play through November 29.

Two Jews Walk Into A War... at Florida Stage, through Nov 29.

Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House at Palm Beach DramaWorks plays through Nov 29.

David Mamet's adaptation of The Voysey Inheritance plays at the Caldwell Theatre Company through December 13.

Laffing Matterz runs Thursday-Sunday at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, through June.

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passing through...

Legally Blonde the Musical plays at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, through November 22. Read more about it.

Shut Up Sweet Charlotte at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center. This high-camp, drag version of the cult classic film Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte plays Thursday Nov 19 through Sunday the 22nd.


Patrick Combs: Man 1, Bank 0, plays a limited run at the Kravis Center, Thursday through Sunday, Nov 21.

Tales from Lake Wobegon with Garrison Keillor, plays Monday, November 23rd only at the Kravis Center.

---

last chance to see...

The critically acclaimed Reasons to be Pretty at GableStage closes November 22.

Fanny Brice: The Real Funny Girl, will be playing to full houses at Maltz Jupiter Theatre, through November 22. It's currently 97% sold, so call now if you want to see it.

Bubbling Brown Sugar at the Broward Stage Door Theatre runs through Nov 22; this is a strong production of a show that hasn't been seen since its 1976 run on Broadway.

Sexual Perversity in Chicago plays at The Alliance Theatre Lab
through November 22.

Actors' Workshop & Repertory Company presents Speech & Debate at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach through November 22.

Unhinged Theater presents Den of Thieves, through November 22.

Flora the Red Menace at Rising Action Theatre runs through Nov 22. This rarely produced Kander & Ebb musical launched the career of Liza Minelli.

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for kids

Inanna and the Huluppu Tree returns to the Playground Theatre, through December 20.

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Big News from Under-The-Bridge

Barrymore, the first production from Burt Reynold's Under-the-Bridge-Players has had a busy box office:

"We are very happy to report that "Barrymore" by William Luce and starring Burt Reynolds will sell out for its entire run; Dec 10 -12."
- BRIFT Executive Director Kenneth Kay

Next up for the fledgling company: local renaissance man Michael McKeever will be performing David Sedaris' The SantaLand Diaries, from December 15th through December 19th. Christmas comes early this year!

The company doesn't have a website yet, so you have to call them on the phone for tickets, season passes, and group rates. Burt Reynolds Under-the-Bridge Players phone number is 561-743 - 9962.

There is some information up on the Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre website.

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The Real Funny Girl Reaches 97%

BroadwayWorld.com reports that Fanny Brice: The Real Funny Girl has been doing a brisk box office at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre:

"Audiences love our fresh take on the story of Fanny Brice," said Andrew Kato, the theatre's artistic director. "They appreciate its clever approach - using four actors to tell Brice's life story, as well as using her original songs.

"Ninety-seven percent of the seats have been sold for its 16-show run," Kato said.

Marya Grandy, previously seen at the theater in Smokey Joe's Café, stars as Brice, and has received universal praise from critics. "Marya virtually inhabits Fanny Brice's character," Kato said. "She has the look, the voice and the comedic timing."

You have through this Sunday, November 22, to catch the show. See the theatre's website for tickets.

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Caldwell Theater: The Voysey Inheritance (3 Reviews)

Caldwell Theatre Company previewed its production of David Mamet's Adaptation of The Voysey Inheritance, by Harley Granville-Barker, on November 8, 2009, and opened November 13.

Edward Voysey has a dilemma. His father, patriarch of the family investment company, has announced that he has run the company as a Ponzi scheme for years. Sound familiar? Amazingly, this play was written over 100 years ago. Now it has been impeccably updated by America’s premier playwright, David Mamet. What will Edward do? Turn his back on his family and immeasurably harm the firm’s clients? Or does he work diligently to make amends yet compromise his morality in the process? The Voysey Inheritance is an examination of the moral complexities that Bernie Madoff and other financial schemers may never have considered.

Clive Cholerton directed a cast that included Katherine Amadeo, Stephen Anthony, Jim Ballard, Cliff Burgess, Dennis Creaghan, John Felix, Peter Haig, Terry Hardcastle, Kathryn Lee Johnston, Dan Leonard, Marta Reiman, and Lourelene Snedeker.

The Sun-Sentinel has declined to review this production.*

John LaRiviere reviewed for TalkinBroadway.com:

The Caldwell brings us a timely morality play that examines the themes of greed and honor centering around a ponzi scheme that is all too reminiscent of the recent Bernie Madoff scandal.

Set designer Tim Bennett has provided a lovely Edwardian drawing-room as the setting for this production. Terry Hardcastle is formidable as Edward. He has volumes of dialogue with no time off stage.

Jim Ballard is well cast as the blustering Major Booth Voysey...

Some undeniably wonderful acting moments exist between Hardcastle and Peter Haig (Mr. Voysey), and Hardcastle and Dennis Creaghan (Mr. George Booth), because they are fine actors and have been well directed. Though The Voysey Inheritance may not be everyone's cup of tea, the production at the Caldwell Theatre features some impeccable acting.

Hap Erstein reviewed for the Palm Beach ArtsPaper (it's a three-fer; you may have to scroll down):

The script that Caldwell artistic director Clive Cholerton has chosen is a streamlined adaptation by David Mamet, who has staked much of his career on the machinations of con men. Sticking to the formal verbal style of the period, his characters speak in complete, articulate sentences, rather than the conversational fragments for which he is known. That has a way of making the situation seem less urgent, diminishing the emotional stakes, turning the play into too much of a cerebral exercise, though still intriguing.

Like Madoff’s victims, Cholerton threw financial caution to the wind in selecting a play that calls for 12 actors, but at least he was able to attract some of South Florida’s best. In addition to Hardcastle as priggish Edward, standouts in the not-a-weak-link company include Peter Haig as pragmatic, wily Mr. Voysey, Jim Ballard as Edward’s hotheaded, militaristic brother Booth and Dennis Creaghan as a longtime client who learns his holdings have disappeared.

Brandon K. Thorp reviewed for the Broward/Palm Beach New Times:

(Artistic Director Clive Cholerton's) theater, like many others, has suffered terribly through the sudden insolvency of many of SoFla's most charitable retirees. Yet here he is, spewing tons of cash on a play that seeks to humanize... the enemy!

And a fine job he does too.

...a host of eclectic, electric characters brought to life by a larger and more talent-rich cast than any assembled in recent memory. Dennis Creaghan brays his best as the late Voysey's richest and most imperious customer. If possible, Jim Ballard brays even better as Major Booth Voysey, who works himself into an epic fit of moral indignation at the thought of having to sacrifice a bit of his allowance so Daddy's clients may be repaid... Stephen G. Anthony (as the elder Voysey's fey prodigal scion), Cliff Burgess (as his fey artist scion), John Felix (as a blustery client and clergyman), and Dan Leonard (as a slithery little lackey who nevertheless manages to ape the classiness of those around him) all share the stage, outshouting one another, and despite the crowded environs, they craft whole, clearly delineated, and perfectly believable characters whom you come to know in an instant and whose terrible greedy squealings haunt your car ride home.

There are women in The Voysey Inheritance as well, but with one exception, their parts are a lot less interesting than the boys'...The exception is Marta Reiman, who is devastating as Alice Maitland, Edward Voysey's fiancée. Onstage, she and Hardcastle blend as perfectly as cream and coffee; she, ferocious, full of love and distress and anger and strength; he, confused, then hurt, then angry, then certain.

Christine Dolen reviewed for the Miami Herald:

Clive Cholerton, in his first season as the Caldwell's artistic director, hasn't stinted on anything, and he delivers a vintage play that is -- particularly in a region where today's notorious Ponzi schemers found more than a few of their victims -- chillingly relevant.

The cast, almost all South Florida-based actors, does an impressive job of conveying both emotional urgency and the restrictive manners of an earlier era.

Haig is a confident, slippery opponent as the elder Voysey. Dennis Creaghan turns formidable as George Booth, a longtime family friend and investor whose outraged sense of violation is tempered by self-interest. As Peacey, an employee who knew about the scheme but kept quiet for his own reasons, Dan Leonard exudes a low-grade menace. Stephen G. Anthony and Cliff Burgess both have powerful moments as Edward's disenchanted brothers.

Even given Mamet's rewrite, The Voysey Inheritance remains a talk-filled play of its era. But is also a drama that comments timelessly on our own.

The Voysey Inheritance plays at the Caldwell Theatre through December 13, 2009.

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Mondays are dark

Hope you had a chance to enjoy the wonderful weather over the weekend.  And I hope you got out to see some of the wonderful productions playing in South Florida.

Don't forget; Aisle Say, with Hap Erstein and Bill Hirschman, today at 2pm on WRPB iRadio.


Mo' Mamet, Mo' Mamet, Mo' Mamet!
Alliance Theatre Lab is selling out Sexual Perversity in Chicago, one of Mamet's early works. GableStage had a successful run of Speed The Plow, which gave Madonna her Broawdway debut a quarter century ago. Caldwell just opened his adaptation of The Voysey Inheritance, one of his most recent pieces.  Now from  BroadwayWorld we learn that Palm Beach DramaWorks has announced that Dennis Creaghan and Matt Meuller will star in American Buffalo, opening February 17, 2010. Is there some Asian calendar we haven't heard of that declared this "The season of Mamet?"  Not that I'm complaining. 

20 years ago, I had the good fortune to see Gordon McConnell, Ray Smith, and Chuck Winkler perform this at the Actors' Rep.  I'm looking forward to seeing Creaghan and Meuller.

Comic Effect
Comic as in comic book, not comedic effect.  Naked Stage's new play, Macon City: A Comic Book Play gets a write up in the Drama Queen.

Wee Wednesdays
Florida Stage's playwright in residence will be writing a series of plays: once a week, on Wednesdays.  The catch?  They'll be on Twitter, and subject to the 140 character limit, and I don't mean the roles.

More than Zero
Recent South Floridian Jim Brochu opens his one man show Zero Hour Off-Broadway.  Read about it in Playbill and BroadwayWorld.com.

The Playground
That's Lex's Playground, not the theatre.  She's reviewed several recent productions, and they are worth reading.  A certain fashion editor should take notes.

Meanwhile...
The Royal Poinciana Playhouse is still closed.

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Behind The Scenes: The Voysey Inheritance.

See what goes into a production at the Caldwell Theatre. Channel 2's uVu blog has video of the Director, the creative team, and the the cast talking about their work on David Mamet's adaptation of Harley Granville-Barker's 1905 play.

Director Interview
Creative Team Interview
Cast Interview

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Maltz Jupiter Theatre: Fanny Brice; the Real Funny Girl (1 review)

The Maltz Jupiter Theatre opened Fanny Brice: The Real Funny Girl on November 10, 2009.

From her start in burlesque as a teenager, to being the toast of the great Ziegfeld Follies, Fanny Brice was captivating, charismatic and the queen of comedy. This not-to-be-missed exploration of her life, featuring unforgettable standards such as My Man and Second Hand Rose, will celebrate the laughs, loves and life of Fanny Brice. Great for the entire family!

David H. Bell directed a cast that included Marya Grandy, Stef Tovar, Lance Baker, and Frank Kopyc.

Hap Erstein reviewed for the Palm Beach Post:

...from the title he chose, you might think Bell decided to debunk the liberties taken by the 1964 musical biography of Brice that was Barbra Streisand’s first and only starring role on Broadway.

In fact, the new show’s first act closely follows the outline of Funny Girl, without any substantial differences of fact.

Bell does do one thing very right and that is casting Marya Grandy as Brice. She encompasses the woman’s talent extremes, from truly inspired clowning in that ballet number to a full-out chilling rendition of the torch song, Aggravatin’ Man... remember her name, because she has what it takes for stardom, even if this vehicle is insufficient to get her there.

Three men handle the rest of the roles, from Stef Tovar’s exasperating Rose to Lance Baker’s Arnstein to Frank Kopyc’s Flo Ziegfeld. Each works plenty hard, but when called on to double and triple in assignments, the conceit seems more economic than artistic.

Fanny Brice: The Real Funny Girl plays at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre through November 22.

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2009-2010 South Florida Theatre Season

While there's actually theatre all 52 weeks of the year in South Florida, the traditional theatre season coincides more or less with tourist season. More or less; even "The Season" doesn't mean as much as it once did in South Florida; Palm Beach still sees a seasonal fluctuation in population, but Fort Lauderdale and Miami simply range from "overcrowded" to "really overcrowded."

"The Season" starts with a trickle of Quebec license plates, and roars into full swing following Thanksgiving, with a crescendo up to Spring Break. And then it starts to get easier to find a parking spot at the Mall, and soon it only takes three cycles to get through a traffic light at rush hour.

But through it all, the show goes on.

SEPTEMBER

9
Rock'n' Roll, Mosaic Theatre, through Oct 4.

30
The Marvelous Wonderettes, Actors' Playhouse, through Nov 1.

OCTOBER

6
Fiddler on the Roof, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, through Oct 18.

In Development, New Theatre, through Nov 8.

15
Love is Love, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, through Oct 25

16
Bubbling Brown Sugar, Broward Stage Door Theatre, through Nov 22.

A Doll's House, Palm Beach DramaWorks, through Nov 29.

21
Two Jews Walk Into A War..., Florida Stage, through Nov 29

27
The Color Purple, Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, through Nov 1.

NOVEMBER

8
The Voysey Inheritance, Caldwell Theatre Company, through Dec 13

10
Fanny Brice: The Real Funny Girl, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, through Nov 22.

GREASE, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, through Nov 15.

Legally Blonde the Musical, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, through Nov 22

14
The Screwtape Letters, Coral Springs Arts Center, through November 15

19
26 Miles, New Theatre, through Dec 20

Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them, Mosaic Theatre, through Dec 13.

Patrick Combs: Man 1, Bank 0, Kravis Center, through Nov 21.

20
Cantorial,Broward Stage Door Theatre , through January 3.

23
Tales from Lake Wobegon with Garrison Keillor, Kravis Center,

27
Gem of the Ocean, The M Ensemble, through December 20

DECEMBER

1
Lost in Yonkers, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, through Dec 13.

2
Another Night Before Christmas, Actors Playhouse, through Dec 27.

3
Eyecons, Rising Action Theatre, through Dec 22.

700 Sundays with Billy Crystal, Kravis Center, through Dec 6.

4
I Love A Piano, The Crest Theatre, through Dec 6.

8
Rent - The Broadway Tour, The Fillmore Miami Beach, through Dec 13.

9
The Storytelling Ability of a Boy, Florida Stage, through Jan 17, 2010.

11
42nd Street,Broward Stage Door Theatre , through Jan 24.

15
Gotta Get a Gimmick - Burlesque to Broadway, Kravis Center,

17
World of Jewtopia, Coral Springs Center for the Arts, through Dec 20.

18
Copenhagen, Palm Beach DramaWorks, through Jan 31.

21
Chicago, the Musical, Kravis Center, through Dec 23.

23
The Phantom of the Opera, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, through Jan 17, 2010.

26
Farragut North, GableStage, through Jan 24

Forbidden Broadway, Kravis Center, through Dec 31.

30
101 Dalmations: The Musical, Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, through Jan 3

JANUARY

3
Chemical Imbalance: A Jekyll and Jyde Play, Caldwell Theatre Company, through Feb 7

5
South Pacific, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, through Jan 10.

12
La Cage Aux Folles, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, through Jan 31.

13
The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Actors' Playhouse, through Feb 7

14
Hour of the Tiger, New Theatre, through Feb 14.

20
Sheperd's Pie, Mad Cat Theatre

Lansky, Parker Playhouse, through Jan 24.

21
An Enemy of the People, Kravis Center, through Jan 22

22
Come Blow Your Horn, Broward Stage Door Theatre, through Mar 1

23
As You Like It, Kravis Center, through Jan 24

27
Sins of the Mother, Florida Stage, through March 7.

Girls Night, the Musical, Parker Playhouse, through Jan 31.

29
My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish, and I'm in Therapy, Crest Theatre, through Jan 30.

FEBRUARY

2
A Chorus Line, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, through Jan 7.

4
Blue Door, The M Ensemble, through Feb 28.

9
Tintypes, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, through Feb 28.

10
The 39 Steps, Parker Playhouse, through Feb 28.

Jersey Boys, Kravis Center, through Mar 28.

12
Singin' In The Rain, Broward Stage Door Theatre, through Mar 28.

13
My Son, the Waiter, A Jewish Tragedy, Coral Springs Center for the Arts

18
Romeo & Juliet, Kravis Center, through Mar 21.

19
American Buffalo, Palm Beach DramaWorks, through Apr 4.

Aspects of Webber, Coral Springs Center for the Arts

Cabaret - National Tour, Crest Theatre, through Feb 21.

20
Blasted, GableStage, through March 21

21
TBA, Caldwell Theatre Company, through Mar 28

25
(classic play tba), New Theatre, through Mar 28.

Make Me A Song: The Music of William Finn, Mosaic Theatre, through Mar 21.

MARCH

3
Wicked, Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, through Mar 21

Miss Saigon, Actors' Playhouse, through April 4

4
Love Song, Naked Stage, through March 28.

9
Anything Goes, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, through Mar 28.

10
Jersey Boys, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, through March 28.

11
The Dumb Waiter, Promethean Theatre, through March 28.

14
The Original Florida Follies, Parker Playhouse,

16
In The Heights, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, through March 28.

17
Hairspray, Coral Springs Center for the Arts

19
Crooked, Area Stage Company

24
Dr. Radio, Florida Stage, through May 2

26
Love, Sex, and the IRS, Broward Stage Door Theatre, through May 9.

30
Mama Mia, Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, through April 4.

APRIL

1
The 12, Broward Center for the Performing Arts

6
The Color Purple, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, through April 18.

8
(world premiere tba), New Theatre, through May 9.

The Trial of One Short-sighted Black Woman vs. Mammy Louise and Safreeta Mae, The M Ensemble, through April 25.

10
Get Back! Beatlemania, Coral Springs Center for the Arts,

Neil Berg's 100 Years of Broadway, Parker Playhouse,

11
The American Plan, Caldwell Theatre Company, through May 16

14
Boeing Boeing, Mosaic Theatre, through May 9.

16
Suds, Broward Stage Door Theatre, through May 23.

17
The Quarrel, GableStage, through May 16

20
The Kosher Cheerleaders, Parker Playhouse, through April 25.

23
Three Tall Women, Palm Beach DramaWorks, through Jun 13.

29
Broadsword, Mad Cat Theatre, through May 9 (at the Arsht Center).

MAY

11
Spring Awakening, Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, through May 16.

12
When The Sun Shone Brighter, Florida Stage, through June 20.

Unreasonable Doubt, Actors' Playhouse, through June 6.

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