ALHAMBRA THEATRE AND DINING REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM The  is celebrating its birthday throughout 2017. This cherished Jacksonville venue is now fifty years old, and the owners are making the January opening of the year-long celebration special by staging ’s “,” the theatre’s opening show in 1967. And to make it even more special, they are offering unheard of pricing for this limited showing running through January 27. You can purchase two tickets for the show for only $50.00 — and ’s wonderful table service three-course meal is included! Neil Simon is one …

TRADITON! The Alhambra is celebrating fifty years of being the place for North Florida residents and visitors to celebrate life’s special occasions or alternately, to just spend a few hours enjoying excellent professional theatre. The Alhambra recently launched another tradition: a New Year’s Eve Gala featuring fine food, music, and dancing in the big band style we would find in cities like Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. Previously, the Alhambra’s New Year’s Eve show featured the stage play or musical scheduled for after the holidays. When Craig Smith and his partners bought the theatre several years ago, they experimented with …

PHASE EIGHT THEATER COMPANY REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM Jacksonville Florida’s newest addition to the theatre scene, , an ensemble based company, staged a two-performance run of “” during December 10-11, 2016 in their performance space at 3674 Beach Boulevard. If the production is any indication of the quality of the work by this new group, theatre fans are in for an interesting year. This play by debuted over forty years ago, before most of the audience members on opening night were even born. The production received both the 1973 Obie Award and the …

A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM PLAYERS BY THE SEA THEATRE REVIEW Jacksonville Beach’s Players by the Sea wants you to have not just a merry Christmas, but a merry wacky Christmas. So this theatre group, known for its diverse programming, is presenting a holiday farce with music, by . A number of his plays have been done in this area over the years, including “Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You,” “The Marriage of Bette and Boo,” and “Betty’s Summer Vacation.” Last year, “Beyond Therapy” was staged at Limelight, and “Vanya and Sonia and …

A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW by DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM LIMELIGHT THEATRE REVIEW St. Augustine’s staged its final offering of 2016 with the opening of the musical “” on December 1. Tom Key and Russell Treyz wrote the book; Harry Chapin wrote the music and lyrics. The play debuted in 1981, just after the death of Chapin in an auto accident. The play is a contemporary retelling in two acts of the story of the life of Jesus as told in the Gospel of Matthew with a slight update: the story is set in modern times in rural Georgia. The …

ATLANTIC BEACH EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM ABET opened the theatre’s final show of 2016 with a unique version of Charles Dickens’ “,” which will be on stage In Atlantic Beach until December 20, 2016. Call 249-7177 for reservations or visit abettheatre.com. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children under 18. Of note, the play is a one-act and doesn’t have scary moments, so you can bring children of any age; the continuous action will hold their attention. Dickens’ famous story, well-known to most adults and many children, is frequently performed …

ALHAMBRA THEATRE AND DINING REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM Jacksonville’s opened its annual Christmas show on November 23, 2016 with the area premier of “.” The production will remain on stage through December 24. If you want to see it, call the Alhambra and get on a waiting list; while it’s currently sold out, cancellations do occur from time to time. The initial inspiration for this nostalgic look at the past came from a book by author and radio entertainer . “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash,” first published in 1966, is …

  5 & DIME THEATRE REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM Jacksonville’s opened “Never the Sinner” on November 11, 2016 at ; it will remain on stage through November 19. The museum is in Springfield at the corner of First and Laura streets. For tickets, visit www.the5andDime.org. The play is the twentieth production by the company, which was founded in 2011. For those who have been fans and supporters since the beginning, it has been a unique ride, as this nomadic group has presented plays in many varied locations in Jacksonville’s core. Venues have included …

FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE AT JACKSONVILLE FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT DramaWorks Review by the Dual Critics, Dick Kerekes & Leisla Sansom at the presented the North Florida premier of “” as a main stage production during November 3 – 6, 2016. The playwright, , may not be known to you by name, but many theatre goers will be familiar with “Almost Maine,” his most successful play, which was written in 2004.  The play was the most popular play in the country in 2010, overtaking the decades-long popularity of productions of the works of William Shakespeare. “Almost Maine” has played at just about every community …

A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM THEATRE JACKSONVILLE THROUGH NOV 20 Jacksonville’s legendary playhouse located in San Marco has opened “The Game’s Afoot,” an exciting comedy/farce by contemporary playwright Ken Ludwig, who is well-known for his humorous inventive scripts. The play received an Edgar Award in 2012 from Mystery Writers of America for Best Play. Over the years Ludwig’s plays have frequently graced the stages of many of our local theatres: other award-winning hits include” Lend Me a Tenor,” “Leading Ladies,” “Moon Over Buffalo” and “Crazy for You.” What most theatre patrons don’t know is that …