Irish Cowboys at the Pelican

Say, partner! Needing to feed an appetite full of tension and strife? Then swing on by to Miami Shores and rest a spell at the Pelican Theatre. There’s a show there called The Lonesome West, brought to you by your friendly neighborhood Naked Stage.

This light-hearted story takes place in Ireland, where two brothers of the Blarney bite and scratch each other constantly over issues revolving around their daddy’s “accidental” demise. Playing referee is a priest, who has problems of his own to deal with; let alone coming between two grown men trying to handle some business. Add a fine, young filly here, a shootout there, and we have us a good ol’ fashioned night out.

Written by Martin McDonagh; whom you may know from other profound works like The Pillowman, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Beauty Queen of Leenane and such, West is part of a trilogy where domestic violence is funny! Ahh, nothing like a knock down, drag out dogfight between boys to touch audiences’ hearts.

Antonio & Katherine Amadeo, with John Manzelli run the fine Naked Stage establishment. Mr. Amadeo and Mr. Manzelli key up the sibling rivalry while Adam Simpson tends bar as the beleaguered priest. Mrs. Amadeo struts around as the girl all the guys want, and if you tip her right, she might sing you a torch song or two.

So leave the kiddies at home, bring your drinking buddies, your banjo and be prepared to have a good time with The Lonesome West. It’s only in town until February 17th. For more information, please call 1-866-811-4111, visit http://www.nakedstage.org/ and www.fusion726.com/5mins. Oh, and tell’em that 5 Minutes to Curtain sent ya. Yee-hah!

January and February Bring About Change to the Broadway World

Although people hate to say good-bye, that one word seems to be going around lately in the world of Broadway. Even though many new shows come in to replace the departing family members of the theatre world, the months of January and February appear to have a lot more departing members then new arrivals.

The biggest announcement this month is that the Nederlander Theatre will be losing its’ hit show RENT on June 1^st. After 12 years, RENT will finally close their doors as one of Broadway’s biggest hits. Based on Puccini’s Opera, La Boheme, RENT tells the story of a group of friends living through a year with drugs, sex, friendship, loneliness, and AIDS. Opening in 1996, RENT won the Tony for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Its’ creator, Jonathan Larson, was unable to see his creation at work, due to his untimely death the day before opening night. Currently staring Tamyra Gray from American Idol, RENT helped launch many careers, such as Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Idina Menzel and many others. Do not miss this Broadway Blockbuster before it leaves for good. As Anthony Rapp said on his Broadway.com interview, “it’s the end of an era.”

February 24^th will also have it’s goodbyes as both The Color Purple and The Fantasticks close their doors to theater goers in New York. The Color Purple will be leaving the Broadway Theater after having 30 previews and 910 performances. Based on the Pulitzer Prize wining novel by Alice Walker, this show, produced by Oprah Winfrey, opened on December 1^st, 2005 to very mixed reviews. Having received 11 Tony nominations and only winning 1 (LaChanze for leading role of Celie), The Color Purple took the ever-popular trend at that time and brought in an American Idol. For this show, theatre management brought in Fantasia to assume the role of Celie in spring of 2007, and the ticket sales boomed. After closing on February 24^th, The Color Purple will tour around the United States through 2009. Look for theaters in your area to see if the show is coming to you.

Also, on that same day, The Fantasticks will be departing its’ home of The Snapple Theatre Center. After 27 previews and 628 performances, The Fantasticks is still known as the longest running musical on Broadway. Originally opening on May 3^rd, 1960, closing Jan 13th, 2002 and playing for 17,162 performances, The Fantasticks reopened its’ arms to the Broadway fans on August 23^rd, 2006. This show also felt the Idol sting and brought Anthony Federov to the stage to play one of its’ leads, Matt.

With all the departures from the theater, there has to be some announcements of shows arriving to the Great White Way. The biggest one is Disney’s newest creation, The Little Mermaid. This underwater spectacular opened on January 10^th, 2008 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre to huge publicity around the nation. Starring Broadway newcomer, Sierra Boggess and veterans Sherie Rene Scott and Norm Lewis, this production is sure to please Disney lovers of all ages. Based on the 1989 classic, The Little Mermaid tells the story of Ariel, a young mermaid who wants to leave her underwater world and experience life above the sea after falling in love with a human.

Be sure to experience these shows and many more the next time you are in New York. Whether it’s to visit a land “Under The Sea” or enjoy some “Seasons of Love”, this critic can guarantee you will have a great time with your family.

Ten Years a “Tall” Order for Inside Out

by: Kevin Johnson

In 1998, Robin Braun formed the Inside Out Theatre Company from a classroom in Weston, Florida. Her first show was called “Kick Up Your Heels” catering to children.

“I had a ten-year plan. The first five years was to find a good team and the next five was to get a permanent home.” Two years into the plan, Braun met Sandra Ives, who began teaching for Inside Out. They found that they had the same goals in common to begin an adult resident company along with the children’s sector.

“Our long-term dream was to have both the adult and children’s theatre hand in hand”, says Ives. In 2005, their plans came to fruition with a critically acclaimed production of Whose Life is it Anyway?

And now they’re celebrating Inside Out’s 10^th anniversary season with the Southeastern premiere of Brian Harris’ Tall Grass.

Tall Grass is a collection of three short one-acts rooted in dark comedy. There is no underlying theme, but Ives says it has threads of power and survival.

Directed by Kim St. Leon, Tall Grass features Jim Ballard, Reiss Gaspard, and Stacy Schwartz.

St. Leon says this collection is a roller coaster ride. “But its still a fun ride and we have three exquisite actors that are ready to turn the audience on its nose.”

Robin Braun hopes that Tall Grass will not only amuse, but will keep people on the edge of their seat to see what happens next. “It’s a piece with surreal and surprise endings that will make it a fun night at the theatre.”

Tall Grass plays at the Museum of Art in Ft. Lauderdale, FL until February 17^th. For more information, please call 954-385-3060, visit the theatre’s website, www.insideouttheatre.org or visit us at www.fusion726.com/5mins

Coming of Age for Playwright is Found in Her First World Premiere

“Gay”, “straight”, “hearing”, “deaf”: these words and more are labels explored in Lauren Feldman’s Fill Our Mouths, a world premiere now playing at New Theatre in Coral Gables, FL.

Fill Our Mouths is set in Paris and tells the story of two women, one who is able to hear, the other hearing impaired. As their bond deepens, their other relationships are challenged. Stuck between two worlds, they set on a journey to understand each other and try learning to cope with the situations that surround them.

The unique component of this production is the use of sign language throughout. Directing Fill Our Mouths is Gail Garrisan, who served as City Theatre’s artistic director when Feldman was an intern.

As a member of the local theatre community, Lauren Feldman performed in productions at City Theatre, Mosaic Theatre, and GableStage. During this time, she penned short plays including The Kissing Play, Asteroid Belt, and Monday in C Minor. In 2005, Feldman was accepted into the playwriting graduate program at Yale School of Drama. She is expected to graduate this spring. Fill Our Mouths is her first full-length play.

Garrisan says that Fill Our Mouths is about people’s need to put labels on things even though they could be misinterpreted. “It’s about human nature and the way we name things. Plus it has questions that are not easily solved; like are things black or white, ever?”

Garrisan urges people to see this play because of the two worlds that need to be spotlighted: the deaf and gay communities. “They are the jumping off point for the exploration of our need to label ourselves and others. And quite simply, it is a good play. Lauren is a thoughtful and lyrical writer. Come and discover her!”

Fill Our Mouths plays until February 10th at New Theatre, 4120 Laguna Street, Coral Gables. For more information, please call 305-443-5909, visit http://www.new-theatre.org/ or visit www.fusion726.com/5mins

New Vista Theatre Gives Rebirth to Jacques Brel

Critics Rating: 4.5 out of 5 spotlights

Avi Hoffman, the well known actor, director and producer has brought his Carbonell-Award winning ensemble of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris to Boca Raton’s New Vista Theatre Company.

Jacques Brel is a beautiful collection of French and English culture immersed in a colorful atmosphere that livens up all generations from the people that saw the original show on Broadway to this twenty-five year old critic who had no idea who Jacques Brel was before seeing this show.

The cast, consisting of two actors and two actresses consistently keep their audiences involved in the show, from “Alone” to Jacques Brel’s most popular song, “If We Only Have Love.”

Avi Hoffman, who also co-directs the show with Andrew Rasmussen, joins his wife, Laura Turnbull, Lisa Manuli and native Frenchmen Tangi Colombel to bring audiences an energetic musical revue full of love, war, life and death brilliantly with fun choreography.

Individual solos were smartly chosen, giving each voice the opportunity to show every actor’s strengths and talents.

Avi Hoffman brings his own professional interpretation and musical flexibility to some of Brel’s most well known upbeat songs such as “Jackie” and “Amsterdam” into songs of loss such as in “Fanette”.

Laura Turnbull uses her soothing voice to sing such ballads as “My Death” and “Old Folks” and the moving anti-war tune, “Sons Of”. Her mixture of tone and emotion brings the true sorrow for the loss of life.

Lisa Manuli’s young and innocent look allows her to fit the role of “Timid Frieda” perfectly along with “My Childhood”. Do not allow this innocent look to fool you as this young woman can belt a note like nothing you have ever heard in “Marieke”.

Tangi Colombel’s high-spirited performance gives audiences a beautiful taste of the French aspect of this show during his duets with Manuli in “Ne Me Quitte Pas” and with Turnbull in “Sons of”. He can’t help but draw audiences to his performances of “Bachelor’s Dance” and his war satire, “The Bulls”.

These are just some of the examples of the ingenious song allocations in this show, originally performed in the 1960’s to an audience returning to see a recreation of the original production and bringing a new group of theater goers with them.

Kudos goes to Ian Almeida for a magnificent set design full of hanging chairs, an old grandfather clock and beautiful stage presence. Although the many props, spread out among the set tends to clutter the stage and make your eyes wander, it does fit in with the overall design of the show. Special recognition also belongs to Lance Blank for amazing light design throughout the stage.

I highly recommend all theater lovers attend this show and experience this unique interpretation of a young Belgian’s look at life.

The New Vista Theatre Company will continue it’s season with Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple, playing from February 14^th through March 2^nd , featuring Avi Hoffman and Gary Marachek. Bruce Adler and Clarence Gilyard will co-star in I’m Not Rappaport, playing from May 1^st through May 18^th and the theatre company will conclude it’s 2007-2008 season with Alan Sherman’s musical, Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduah, featuring Avi Hoffman from June 19^th through July 6^th.

For more information, please contact the New Vista Theatre Company at www.newvistatheatre.com or call (888) 284-4633 or by checking out www.fusion726.com/5mins

The Drowsy Chaperone Dances its way Across America

The Drowsy Chaperone Dances its way Across America
By Jason Fisher

2008 was kicked off at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts with Broadway Across America presenting The Drowsy Chaperone starring Jonathan Crombie, Andrea Chamberlain and Nancy Opel.
This musical, set in modern times invites the audience into the living room of “The Man in the Chair”, a lonely man obsessed with Broadway musicals. He sits down with his favorite soundtrack, entitled The Drowsy Chaperone, a 1928 musical full of love, mischief and comedy and from the first note of the LP, his one room apartment is magically transformed into the set for The Drowsy Chaperone. Throughout the show, “The Man in the Chair” will pause the record, freezing the characters, and drop in his own commentary, making the show more “informational.”
The use of characters reminded me a lot of Kiss Me Kate, with a star actress, her lover, the producer that will lose his show if his star gets married and the “gangsters” who provide a comedic number.
The show was enjoyable for all ages, full of music, dance and overall laughter by all who attended. Notable performances were given by Mr. James Moye who played the over emotional Adolpho and Mrs. Georgia Engel who reprised her Broadway performance of Mrs. Tottendale.
The set design was exquisite with great use of the stage. Audiences will be surprised with one prop in particular at the end of the show. Don’t worry, I won’t give it away.
The Drowsy Chaperone will continue its American tour with stops in Atlanta from Jan 22-27, Orlando, FL from Feb 5-10, Pittsburg, PA from Feb 26-Mar 2 and Chicago, IL from April 1-13.
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts will continue its Broadway season with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels from January 29

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through February 10

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, Wicked from March 12

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through April 6

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, and Twelve Angry Men from April 22

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through May 4

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, 2008.
Please visit www.broadwayacrossamerica.com or www.fusion726.com/5mins for more information.