By Mary Damiano

Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s new production of The Producers is a head-scratcher.  How did this theatre that does things so right end up doing so much wrong with this show?

The Producers is Mel Brooks’ hilarious, splashy musical about theatrical producer Max Bialystock and accountant Leo Bloom, who scheme to put on the worst musical ever, because, with some creative accounting, there’s more money to be made on a flop than a hit.  Bialystock and Bloom find a script, “Springtime for Hitler” written by furhur-loving Nazi  Franz Liebkind, hire flamboyant director Roger Debris.To gay it up, and then hire the worst actors available.  They figure with that with so much bad, they’ll close the show on opening night and run off to Rio with $2 million.  What could go wrong?

Turns out, a lot, in this musical within a musical.

First, let’s start with what goes right in the Maltz production.  The ensemble is terrific, singing and tapping and dancing their way through big production numbers and oodles of costumes changes.  The costumes by Gail Baldoni are over-the-top and fabulous.  The scenic design, by Paul Tate DePoo III, with its odd angles and forced perspective, gives the show a quirky, whimsical quality.  Shea Sullivan’s choreography is energetic and fun, and for the ensemble, often dazzling.

Roland Rusinek is the cast standout as Franz Liebkind.  He milks every bit of humor out of his Franz, and seems to be the only one with an understanding of the tone The Producers needs to make it work.

So what goes wrong in the Maltz production?  First there’s the scale.  The Producers is a big musical, and this regional, scaled-back production doesn’t achieve the spectacle it should. One of the most famous numbers, “Along Came Bialy” which features a big dance number of little old ladies with walkers, feels small.  And that’s the feeling of several of the big numbers—they simply lack the volume needed to pull them off successfully.

But the biggest problem with The Producers lies with its leads.  Lenny Wolpe possesses none of the mania needed to make Max Bialystock work.  Sure, he’s got a good voice, but his lack of energy brings the show way down.  His big number, “Betrayed,” should be a tour-de-force solo that builds to a climactic finish, but Wolpe invests so little into the song that those few minutes are easily spent admiring Paul Black’s jail cell lighting design than being enthralled by Wolpe’s performance.

Mark Price fares a little better as Leo Bloom.  Price comes off as a schlubby Tony Randall in posture and voice.  He exhibits more energy, but his delivery is too slow and quiet, even toward the end when Leo should have grown a backbone.   His best number is shared with his love interest, Swedish bombshell Ula (Elyse Collier) in the lovely duet “That Face”.

Maybe this production of The Producers will improve over the course of the run. Maybe Wolpe and Price will find their footing and let loose so their performances match the tone of the show.  Maybe they can nail the leading man luster that this production lacks.  But since none of that was evident on opening night, that’s a big maybe.

The Producers runs through January 29 at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre.  JupiterTheatre.org

By Mary Damiano

Great sports stories are never about sports.

And Kings of Harlem, a riveting play now at M Ensemble in Miami is a great sports story.  Even though it about a  basketball team, the Harlem Renaissance—the Harlem Rens for short—who were great champions of the Negro leagues before major league sports were integrated and were largely whitewashed from mainstream history, basketball is just the vehicle for a story about men with heart and what they meant to a marginalized community.

Written and directed by Layon Gray, Kings of Harlem begins with an inspiring, powerful speech that Coach “Pops” Coffey (Allan Louis) delivers to his team before the biggest game of their lives in 1939.  Fast forward to present day, in which the coach’s grandson Benjamin Coffey (Ray Lockhart) is delivering a Powerpoint presentation which about the historical significance of the Renaissance Casino and Ballroom, the social hub of Harlem, which has been bulldozed by a corporation.  This prologue lays the groundwork for the story of the Harlem Rens, and seamlessly flows into their story.

And while Kings of Harlem details the Harlem Rens’ championship season that year, culminating with a post-season integrated series, the real story is the men on the team, what drives them, what they mean to their community, and what it means to them to be better, faster and to win more games, yet still be denied the chance to play in the league with their white counterparts.

The scenic design is simple: a basketball court, which serves the few other locales well. And though he is not credited as choreographer, Gray has staged some spectacular moves, not just in the course of the actual game scenes but in rhythmic practice sessions and sequences evoking the jazz and swing era that are absolutely thrilling.

The cast is excellent.  Andre L. Gainey is terrific as JoJo, the oldest player on the team, who takes a fatherly interest in the younger players.  Chris Boldon adds some comic relief as fast-talking Nat, but is also heart-breaking when he relates what drives him. Marquise Rogers shines in a harrowing scene in which his character, Clem, relates a family tragedy. And as Pops, Louis embodies the kind of leader a team would follow anywhere.

This is the first show in M Ensemble’s new space, the Sandrell Rivers Theatre in the Audrey M. Edmondson Transit Village in Miami.  The new venue is handsome and spacious, with a nimble black box space, the kind of home M Ensemble deserves.

As Benjamin Coffey says several times during the play, “History deserves the right to live.” With Kings of Harlem, Gray has created a fitting home for this forgotten piece of history, and has made M Ensemble’s production the first must-see show of the year.  Do not miss it.

Kings of Harlem runs through January 29.  For tickets and more information, visit TheMEnsemble.com.

By Mary Damiano

Andie Arthur

What would you give to have anything your heart desires?  That’s the question posed by Andie Arthur in her new play, Juliet Among the Changelings, which has its world premiere tonight at the Main Street Playhouse in Miami Lakes.  A young adult lesbian romance, the play is produced by the theatre company Arthur co-founded three years ago, Lost Girls Theatre.  In addition to being a playwright, Arthur has been the executive director of the South Florida Theatre League for nearly a decade.  Here, she talks about her inspiration for her play, what it’s like to go from playwright to producer, and why it’s important to see women’s stories on stage.

Where did the idea for Juliet Among the Changelings come from?

I’ve actually been writing a version of this play for about ten years now. I was in a playwriting workshop led by Carlos Murillo, who gave us an exercise where he laid out plot points from various plays and we would pick up one that we didn’t recognize and write a scene from it. And the plot point I picked up was, “A woman gives up her baby for magical powers.” I knew from the moment I read the prompt that I wanted to write a play from the perspective of the baby.  It took a long time before that became the current structure of Juliet Among the Changelings. This play is very much inspired by addiction to reading young adult fantasy novels — which I tend to love because (aside from Twilight) they pretty consistently feature complicated young women with agency. For our theatre company, which has a target audience of young adults, I wanted to write a young adult novel as a play. I simply subverted it by making the love story between two young women and played around with a lot of the tropes of the genre.  It’s also based on Celtic Fairy Lore, which is another long standing place of geekery for me.

Would you say there are themes running through your work?

Sofia Duemichen and Diana Garle

I’m interested in the stories of women, all different kinds of women and all different kinds of experiences of femininity. Genre-wise,  my plays range all over the map. When I get the question what sort of plays do you write, I kinda want to say all of them. My plays have ranged from historical dramas to romantic comedies about the apocalypse, but all of them have centered around a female protagonist.

What have been the biggest challenges producing your first world premiere with your own theatre company?

There’s always a thing when you know something is going be challenging and then actually facing the reality of how challenging it is. As executive director of the South Florida Theatre League, I’ve heard and helped a lot around issues of lack of advance ticket sales and fundraising, but it’s entirely different perspective when you’re in the trenches. I think I will become a much better ED of the League for this experience.

Rather than waiting for a theatre to produce your work, you made it happen on your own.  How daunting is that?

It’s not easy, but I highly recommend it. There’s something so freeing about saying, “Let’s do the work we want to see in the world” instead of complaining that the world doesn’t conform to my standards. This is our first time out and we have learned a lot — and we’ll definitely do things differently in the future — but it’s so nice to be able to make something happen.

Courtney Poston and Jennipher Murphy

What do you want the audience to get from your show?

I hope they enjoy it. The best thing that I could imagine is a young lesbian being able to see herself in this narrative. Of course, she wouldn’t be dealing with the magical part, but she would get to see someone like her on stage. There’s that great Junot Diaz quote about how if you don’t see yourself reflected in culture, you become a vampire. It’s so true. It’s so rare to see a young woman be the lead in a story for the theatre — most of the time they’re love interests or daughters or there for sex appeal, and it’s even rarer for lesbians to see themselves onstage. I hope that we can reach them and that they come out to see themselves on stage.

Juliet Among the Changelings  by Lost Girls Theatre runs through  August 21 at Main Street Playhouse in Miami Lakes.  For tickets and more information, visit LostGirlsTheatre.com

Production photos by Vyvian Figueredo

By Mary Damiano

Shelley Keelor, Clay Cartland, Jinon Deeb, Michael Scott Ross and Leah Sessa

Chicago. Cabaret. Kiss of the Spider Woman. The Rink. New York, New York. Woman of the Year.  All are legendary shows with songs composed by a legendary team, John Kander and Fred Ebb.

After the success of the revival of Chicago on Broadway, songs from Kander and Ebb shows were fashioned into the musical revue The World Goes ‘Round, which premiered on Broadway in 1991.  It was later revised to include songs from lesser-known shows, and now, South Florida audiences can see MNM Productions’ wildly creative version of that revision, now at the Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach.

The World Goes ‘Round and other revues of its ilk are popular in regional theatre because they’re relatively easy to produce: Five performers, a couple of musicians—bam, there’s a show.  But that’s not now MNM does a revue.  The World Goes ‘Round is magnificently staged, turning a collection of songs into a marvelous, fully-realized show.

Shelley Keelor

The World Goes ‘Round not only showcases a quintet of talented performers, but also showcases its visionary director, Bruce Linser.  What could have been an evening of fine singers performing classic Broadway show tunes with a little choreography thrown in has become a wildly inventive piece of theatre.  Linser has mined each song for humor and poignancy and emotion, created the thread of a love triangle that runs throughout the show and combined songs from different shows in a way that would make Kander and Ebb wonder why they didn’t put them together to begin with.

His staging of each song in The World Goes ‘Round is intricately sculpted into its own vignette, that both stands on its own and also fits within the larger piece.  Ring Them Bells from Liza with a Z becomes a fully acted sketch, while Me and My Baby from Chicago becomes a funny take on our love of modern love of technology. Even the hot-button numbers that you think you know are given a fresh look.  Cabaret, usually a solo star turn, is given a more nuanced Pentatonix-style arrangement that emphasizes harmonies.  And New York, New York is performed as a fun tip of the hat to the Big Apple’s multicultural population.

Leah Sessa

In perhaps the most inventive and hilarious piece, Shelley Keelor and Jinon Deeb play a couple of clueless theatre patrons who wander in while the rest of the cast is performing a scene from Chicago, and then, while singing Class, proceed to commit every offense a rude audience member can. It’s a wonderful re-imagining of the song, as well as a lesson to the audience.  (It didn’t have an effect on everyone though, as some patrons still left the show while the cast was taking their bows.  Hey Traffic-Beaters:  You were rude and you missed a terrific encore.)

Harmonies are tight and fluid.  The ensemble numbers such as Money from Chicago and Coffee in a Cardboard Cup from 70, Girls 70 are great fun—the cast even performs on roller skates for the title song from The Rink—but each member of the cast also gets a show-stopping moment.  Leah Sessa gets two biggies, doing a fan-Fosse-tastic job with All That Jazz from Chicago, and then later delivering a powerful solo on the torchy Maybe This Time from Cabaret, that prompted several people to give her a standing ovation.  Clay Cartland shows off his thrilling voice on Kiss of the Spider Woman and silently displays his athleticism while Sessa sings the bawdy Arthur in the Afternoon from The Act.  Keelor is lovely and poignant on Colored Lights from The Rink, which also features a young skater, Olivia Rose Chiampou. Michael Scott Ross brought more than one tear to audience members’ eyes with Sometimes a Day Goes By from Woman of the Year, and Deeb, who opens the show with the titular song, also shines on Ring Them Bells and in her other duet with Keelor, The Grass is Always Greener from Woman of the Year.

Clay Catland and Leah Sessa

Even musical director Paul Reekie, who helms a killer five-piece band, gets into the act, singing Mr. Cellophane from Chicago, while the rest of the cast illustrate what it’s like for a singer to perform in a bar with rowdy patrons.

To bridge the gap between the intimate club set and the cavernous Rinker Theatre, the singers sometimes move through the audience. Kimberly Dawn Smith’s choreography is nimble and sexy and fun.  Jayson Thomasheski’s lighting design is beautifully evocative, while Kenny Reiss’s sound is flawless. Linda Shorrock’s costumes are sexy and imaginative.

Even if you’ve heard these Kander and Ebb songs before, you’ve never heard them like this.  And even if you’ve see The World Goes ‘Round before, you’ve never seen it like this.  Don’t miss it.

The World Goes ‘Round runs through August 21 at the Rinker Playhouse at Kravis Center in West Palm Beach.  For tickets and information, visit Kravis.org.

All photos by George Wentzler

By Mary Damiano

 Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale…

This is not your father’s Gilligan’s Island, unless dear old dad did drag.

Those lovable stranded castaways from the iconic 1960s’ TV show are back in the hilarious romp, Gilligan’s Fire Island, now playing for two more weekends at Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale.

Written by Jamie Morris, who also appears in dual roles as both Thurston and Lovey Howell, Gilligan’s Fire Island is both a loving tribute and gay reboot. The result plays just like a lost episode of the show:  The castaways are thrown into a tizzy when a mysterious stranger from the future somehow winds up on the island possessing a device with the power to get them rescued.

In this case, that stranger is narcissistic, social media-obsessed reality star Cody, (Kyle Garcia) who is on a ferry making his first trip to Fire Island. After dissing an onboard performance by a drag queen, Cody gets knocked out.  Cut to that familiar island, brought to life in full tropical splendor by Michael McClain, and those familiar castaways, who discover Cody unconscious. Just about every cliché from the TV show is played out to perfection over the course of the play

The thing that makes Gilligan’s Fire Island work so well is that the TV show characters play it relatively straight, meaning that except for them being vaguely aware that they all look exactly the same as they did in 1964 when the series began, despite being stranded on the island for more than 50 years, they are simply the characters as we remember them.

All of this could have gone horribly wrong in so many ways.  But Morris is skillful preserving the integrity of the show while injecting it with a great big shot of modern sensibility.

Garcia has the job of creating the only original character for the bulk of the show, and, as Cody, he takes the stereotypical, self-absorbed D-List celebrity to new heights—and new lows—meaning he’s really good at being really annoying, and in this case, that’s a good thing.

The rest of the cast is tasked with both embodying the characters we love, while bringing a little something extra to fit the premise.  They all succeed beautifully and together create a tight ensemble.

David Tracy is petite, pig-tailed Mary Ann, and he captures the farm girl’s voice and can-do attitude.  Morris gets huge laughs as the Howells—his quick costume changes often have hilarious results. Ben Prayz is the Professor, and from the looks of Prayz, the Professor has spent his time on the island working out his brawn as well as his brain. Scott Travis, as the Skipper, fits the bill both physically and with his bumbling good nature. Mike Westrich is the perfect Gilligan, and while he doesn’t get as much stage time as the other characters, he makes every moment count by channeling the little buddy we all remember.

But Trevor Peringer, who plays Ginger, steals the show.  Peringer’s height really fills out the movie star’s many slinky evening gowns, and he has Ginger’s breathless, whispery voice and deer-in-the-headlights befuddlement down pat.  His timing is also spot-on, and he knows how to wring every last laugh out of each moment.

If you want a laugh-out-loud evening at the theatre, Gilligan’s Fire Island is not to be missed.

Gilligan’s Fire Island runs through August 14 at Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale.  For tickets and more information, visit EmpireStage.com.

By Mary Damiano

Erynn Dalton

To look at Erynn Dalton in all her bubbly, blonde loveliness, you’d never think that her tastes run to the macabre.

“It’s a fascination I’ve had as long as I can remember,” says Dalton.  “I was an early reader, and I distinctly remember reading Jaws when I was only six years old. Guess my mom and dad weren’t really concerned about what books I was getting my hands on.  I moved pretty quickly from Jaws to Stephen King, and I suppose my tastes were pretty much warped from that point on.”

Dalton’s theatre company, Infinite Abyss, specializes in immersive horror theatre.  And even when the company does more mainstream plays, they tend to be dark; in the past year they produced Bug, about a paranoid man and the woman who gets pulled into his world, and Extremities, about a rape survivor who captures her rapist.

But Infinite Abyss also does the lighter side of dark, such as their recent labor of love, The Rocky Horror Show, and their current project, Come and Knock on Our Door.

Cast members of Come and Knock on Our Door

Come and Knock on Our Door, as any die-hard sitcom fan knows, is the opening lyric to the theme song of Three’s Company.  For the uninitiated, Three’s Company ran on ABC from 1977 to 1984.  The original cast was comprised of  John Ritter as Jack, Suzanne Somers as Chrissy, Joyce DeWitt as Janet, Norman Fell and Audra Lindley as Mr. and Mrs. Roper, and Richard Kline as Larry.  The premise was quite risqué for the era: In order to share an apartment with Janet and Chrissy, straight guy Jack had to pretend to be gay so their prudish landlord Mr. Roper wouldn’t kick him out.  Cast changes and hijinks ensued for eight seasons.

At Infinite Abyss, Come and Knock on Our Door takes on a more sinister bent.  In this version, written by Dalton and Fernando Baron II,  it’s 1979 in Southern California and Jack is a killer.  His roommates are oblivious to his murderous tendencies but his landlord is suspicious and calls in a detective to investigate. The structure is that of a live TV sitcom taping, complete with a comedian from local improv troupe The Sick Puppies. Audience members are encouraged to come dressed in 1970s’ attire.

The Roommates of Come and knock on Our Door

“Though we tend to focus on dark themes, with all of the horrible news of late related to terrorism and a tense atmosphere due to politics, we wanted to do something light and funny while still remaining true to our horror roots,” Dalton says. “Fernando and I are big fans of both older sitcoms and horror, and the concept was born from a late night Facebook instant message session. The best ideas, at least for us, always seem to come organically during conversation, and this one was no different,” says Dalton, who also directed this world premiere.

Come and Knock on Our Door is the first show in Infinite Abyss’s Slasher Sitcom Series.  The plan is to produce one  installment each season.

“We’re already working on our next one that will be a slasher sitcom parody of  The Brady Bunch, says Dalton.  “This one will be called MEAT- The Untold Story of Sam the Butcher. That will go on stage next summer and will be tons of fun!”

Come and Knock on Our Door runs through Sunday at Infinite Abyss in Wilton Manors.  For tickets and more information, visit Infinite-Abyss.org

By Mary Damiano

Emily Freeman and Eytan Deray

I had never seen Once Upon a Mattress, the charming musical based on the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea.  Musicals are not like movies.  You can’t get them on demand; you have to wait for someone to actually produce them.  So I was thrilled when I saw that Florida Atlantic University was doing Once Upon a Mattress in Boca Raton, finally giving me the chance to see the musical that made Carol Burnett a star.

This production is not traditional.  Director Bruce Linser gives it the framework of a troupe of performers presenting the show at a Renaissance festival.  Keeping with that concept, Once Upon a Mattress has lively pre-show entertainment, with members of the ensemble stilt-walking, juggling, and interacting with the audience.

Maribeth Graham and Eytan Deray

What follows is an absolute delight, a confection of a show that walks the balance beam between bawdy and innocent, with hilarious results.  The plot goes like this: Queen Aggravain (Maribeth Graham) has declared that no one in the kingdom can marry until her son, Prince Dauntless (Eytan Deray) marries. But she is much too attached to her son and puts each wannabe bride through tests the poor girls cannot possibly pass. Frustrations are running high in the kingdom, especially for lissome Lady Larken (Tara Collandra) who faces scandal in about nine months if she can’t marry handsome Sir Harry (Jordan Armstrong) who, learning of their date with the stork, rides off in search of a princess for the prince. Enter Princess Winnifred (Emily Freeman) a smart and sassy tomboy with all the girlish grace of a gopher. And while Winnifred endears herself to the prince and the rest of the court, the queen is unmoved.  Hijinks ensue on the bumpy road to would-be wedlock.

Emily Freeman

FAU students and a few guest artists make up the cast.  Graham is deliciously hissable as Queen Aggravain, while you can’t help but root for her mute, henpecked hubby, King Sextimus, played by Barry Tarallo, who gets to put his pantomime skills to good use.  Deray gives Prince Dauntless an effeminate edge that is ripe for laughs.  As Winnifred, Freeman displays a goofy charm and a willingness to do anything for a laugh.

Once Upon a Mattress boasts a strong cast that delivers a delightful few hours of theatre.

Once Upon a Mattress runs through July 31 at FAU in Boca Raton.  For tickets and more information, call 800-564-9539 or visit fauevents.com.

By Mary Damiano

Gary Cadwallader and Laura Hodos in 1776

I don’t usually review shows in their closing weekends, but when a production like 1776 comes along, well, to crib a line from Arthur Miller and this show, attention must be paid.

As a history buff, 1776, which details the events leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence,  has always been one of my favorites—the film version is a staple of my July 4^th celebration.  Palm Beach Dramaworks’ 1776 is both timely and inventive, and shows how little has changed in 240 years.

Director Clive Cholerton has employed a clever concept for this production of the patriotic musical, giving it a prologue and epilogue showing that politics in these Untied States has been a combative, even dirty, business since day one. And, in order to stage a traditional musical with a large cast and still keep within a modern budget, Cholerton double and even triple-cast his ensemble, with an interesting twist: nearly each actor plays a representative on each side of the argument for American independence.

I’ll admit I was skeptical about how that would work.  But all doubt was gone within the first few minutes. The casting idea comes off seamlessly in show.  The production is so energetic that there is always something to draw focus while an actor is slipping out for a quick costume change in order to make an entrance as someone else.  Sometimes the change is even faster—several times Matthew Korinko, who plays delegates James Wilson and George Read, delivers his line, changes his coat onstage and delivers the next line as the other character.  The production is so well done that there is little confusion in these character changes, and the whole thing is fascinating to watch.

Nicholas Richberg in 1776

There’s not a weak link in the cast.  Gary Cadwallader delivers a bravura performance as the impassioned, independence-obsessed  John Adams; Allan Baker’s Ben Franklin is affable but with an edge.  Nicholas Richberg is hilariously flamboyant as Richard Henry Lee and sternly villainous as John Dickinson. Laura Hodos is John Hancock, but her gorgeous soaring voice is really showcased as Abigail Adams.  Clay Cartland is at his brash best as Thomas Jefferson.  And Shane Tanner, playing slave-proponent Edward Rutledge, nearly stops the show with his powerful, spine-tingling performance of Molasses to Rum.

There couldn’t be a better time to see 1776.  Because in this tumultuous political climate, in which no one is certain about where the country is going, it makes sense to see how it all began and be reminded of the principles that lead to the founding of the United States of America.

1776 runs through Sunday at Palm Beach Dramaworks in West Palm Beach.  For more information and tickets, visit PalmBeachDramaworks.org.

By Mary Damiano

Casey Dressler is taking her show on the road.

The talented actress and writer will hold three fundraising performances of her hilarious and insightful one-woman show, The Wedding Warrior, at The Florida Keys History Discovery Center in her hometown of Islamorada, Friday, July 29 through Sunday, July 31.

The Wedding Warrior is an autobiographical play detailing Dressler’s days as a wedding planner in the Florida Keys.  In the show, Dressler portrays more than a dozen characters, including a Cuban, weed-smoking cigar roller; a stern, detail-oriented mother-of-the-bride; a maid of honor with food issues; a low-key busboy; and a southernism-spouting hotel clerk.

The fundraiser performances will help Dressler with the expenses involved in getting her play to Fringe NYC in August as well as Chicago Fringe Festival in September.

I  saw The Wedding Warrior last year when it was featured at the Fort Lauderdale Fringe Fest.  The show is a delight, and not only showcases Dressler’s talent for morphing from one character to another, but also her skill for creating the characters and bringing them from page to stage.

For more information on The Wedding Warrior and to purchase tickets to the Islamorada performances, visit TheWeddingWarriorPlay.com