PLAYERS BY THE SEA THEATRE REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES AND LEISLA SANSOM [email protected] Jacksonville Beach’s opened its 50th season with the musical “.” After opening on Broadway in 1987, the play won Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress. And it probably would have won the award for best musical as well, if “Phantom of the Opera” hadn’t been a competitor. made “Woods” into a film in 2014, starring Meryl Streep, Tracy Ullman, and Johnny Depp. The film grossed over two hundred million dollars, and ignited a renewed interest in the musical by …

THEATRE JACKSONVILLE REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM [email protected] This week opened its annual Summer Classic in San Marco on September 16, 2016 with “.” The production will be on stage through October 2, 2016. Visit theatrejax.com or call (904) 396-4425 for additional information and reservations. You can take a late summer vacation at Theatre Jacksonville and briefly and delightfully enter the world of and experience the challenges and triumphs the characters she created faced during everyday life in England during the Regency period. Austin’s famous and beloved novel, which was first published in 1813, …

ORANGE PARK COMMUNITY THEATRE REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM [email protected] The opened , the 2006 Tony Award winning musical, on September 9, 2016, which will run through October 2, 2016. The theatre is located at 2900 Moody Avenue in Orange Park, Florida. Tickets are selling fast. Call 904-276-2599 or visit www.opct.info for additional information. Mary Poppins is based on the popular 1964 Disney film of the same name, which was adapted from an earlier series of children’s books by author P. L. Travers, and is a spectacular and family-friendly musical. Under the direction of …

ABET THEATRE REVIEW DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM [email protected] The opened the Florida premier of the musical “” on September 9, 2016. The production will be onstage through September 26. The musical, which debuted on Broadway in 1981, is based on a 1934 play by and . It hasn’t been staged frequently, probably because it is so challenging for the actors, musicians, and directors. But as far as we know, director embraces challenging works, and this play was no exception. He was ably assisted by actor/director . The book is by , while the music and …

BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM [email protected] held its annual on Sunday, August 20, 2016 at its theatre at 106 North Sixth Street, in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. The name for the awards was chosen many years ago, back when the theatre was located just one block from the ocean, where pelicans were frequent visitors. Players moved into its current expanded home in 1999 and has been ever-changing; delighting theatre-goers with facility upgrades year after year. Look for even more changes in the future, as the entrance will soon have a garden and palm trees. The Pelicans are Players’ version of …

ATLANTIC BEACH EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE REVIEW A BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM [email protected] Atlantic Beach Experimental Theatre () presented a special staged reading of the thought-provoking “” during August 12 – 14, 2016. The production wasn’t part of ABET’s regular season, but was a welcomed addition to our local theatre offerings. ABET’s staging was the Florida premier of the drama, by , which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2001. The playwright’s inspiration was based on memories of his grandmother’s struggles with illness in her later years. The play is set in New York City, in Greenwich …

BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM [email protected] On Sunday August 7th, 2016, held its annual celebration honoring volunteers for the 2015-2016 season; TJ combines this special event with the annual meeting of its members. The venue was Indocine San Marco, a restaurant known throughout the city for Thai and Southeast Asian cuisine. , the outgoing President of the Board gave a brief summary of the past season and its accomplishments. The most important item for most theatres these days is their financial condition, and Mr. Darragh announced that TJ once again finished in the black. New board members were voted …

The Performers Academy Theatre Review A Dual Critics Review by Dick Kerekes & Leisla Sansom [email protected] at 3674 Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville, Florida presented “,” a new play, during August 5 – 7 2016. , the author, is a recent graduate of the ; he will be attending The BFA acting program in New York City in the fall. The are familiar with Mr. Robertson as an actor, having seen him at DASOTA in “Ragtime” and “Harold and the Purple Crayon.” This play was co-directed by the playwright and . When we made reservations to see this play, we wondered …

ALHAMBRA THEATRE & DINING REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM [email protected] The presents the longest-running revue in Broadway history, “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” which ran for over two thousand performances after opening in 1995. The show will be on stage at 12000 Beach Boulevard, in Jacksonville, Florida through September 4, 2016. Call 904 641-1212 for reservations or visit alhambrajax.com. “” was created by the songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who first got together back in 1950 when they were teenagers living in Los Angeles. They loved boogie and blues and began writing music …