A  Dual Critics Review Douglas Anderson School of the Arts presented four performances of “My Fair Lady,” one of the best known and most beloved musicals of all time, during November 14 – 18, 2018. The musical, which premiered on Broadway in 1965, won six Tony Awards, which included the Best Musical award. The wonderful classic music and songs were likely unknown to most of the DASOTA students, as the last time it was produced on a local stage was almost ten years ago. The story is based on George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion” (written in 1912), with book and lyrics …

Florida State College of Jacksonville DramaWorks Review DramaWorks presented playwright Suzan Zeder’s dynamic and intriguing “The Taste of Sunrise” November 8-11 at in Jacksonville. Directed by Professor of Theatre . It was his 49th production as the head of FSCJ’s Theatre Performance at South Campus. As a critic, I have seen most of his work over the years and have always looked forward to his productions, which ran from musicals to comedy, to serious and have been always entertaining and thought-provoking. In “The Taste of Sunrise” he presented a play from two worlds with two languages: English and American Sign …

Jacksonville University presented four performances of James Lapine’s award winning musical “Into The Woods” from November 1 to 4 at Swisher Theatre. This musical won three Tony Awards on Broadway in 1987. It was made into a movie in 2014 with Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp and grossed over 200 million dollars at the box office. This is one of the most unique musicals in that the script combines several fairy tales into one story with the paths of familiar characters crossing and changing their lives. The cast is large and it takes a skilled Director to keep all those …

Theatre Jacksonville opened the first production of its 99 season on November 2 with The Savannah Sipping Society. It will run through November 18th at 2032 San Marco Ave. Call 904-396-4425 for reservations. This play is by the writing team of Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten or better known as Jones Hope Wooten. These three former TV sitcom writer s have created their comedy scenarios for several years and their combined plays have close to 4,000 performances. Two of their plays are well known to Jacksonville audiences, The Dixie Swim Club at the and Always a Bridesmaid right here at . …

ABET, All Beaches Experimental Theatre, opened its second production of the season, at his new home 544 Atlantic Blvd, Neptune Beach with the classic thriller, Wait Until Dark. This play by Frederick Knott debuted in 1966 and ran for 373 performances. It had star power with Lee Remick in the lead for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Warner Bros-Seven Arts made a movie that starred Audrey Hepburn who won an Academy Award for her role. This play is an electrifying thriller about a young lady named Susy who is blind due to an auto accident. While in …

New York actors aspire to win a Tony, film actors want to win an Oscar. What do Jacksonville community theatre actors covet most? A role on stage at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre. An actor may perform with every theatre group in town, doing a variety of roles but when they finally land a role at the longest-producing dinner theaters in America, Jacksonville’s , you have reached the top in this area. Why? As Jacksonville’s full time professional theatre, you know you can perform with the pros. I know this question comes to mind. You thought the Alhambra is an equity …

A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW Jacksonville’s Alhambra Theatre opened the Tony Award-winning musical “1776” on October 17, which will continue through November 18, 2018. The theatre is located at 12000 Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville, Florida. Visit alhambrajax.com or call 904-641-1212 for reservations. The Alhambra’s timing for staging the production is notable, since our country is involved in mid-term elections which include extensive coverage of all things political by our newspapers and television commentators. This 1969 musical by Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone is about the drafting, acceptance and signing of the Declaration of Independence, the cornerstone of our liberty. Director Tod …

Jacksonville’s San Marco Square was jumping for joy on Saturday, October 13, 2018. In addition to three fabulous shows staged to benefit in preparation for its 100th season (2019-2020), San Marco had a party celebrating the 21st birthday of the 3 Lions stature in the Square. Theatre Jax’s theme was “One Day, One Stage, Three Shows,” with single tickets available for each show. “Show and Tell,” the opener at 2:00 pm, featured the art and wit of New York’s celebrity caricaturist Ken Fallen. Ken lived in Jacksonville during his early years, where he appeared in three musicals at Theatre Jax; …

A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW The Douglas Anderson School of the Arts opened “East of the Sun and West of the Moon” on October 11, which continues during October 17 – 20, 2018. The play is based on the works of Norwegian writers Christian Asbjornsen and Jorgen Engebretsen Moe, who collected Scandinavian folktales and began publishing them in 1842. DA’s production is one of the most unique and entertaining we have ever seen. The characters are those found in many fairy tales and legends: a beautiful young girl, an ensorcelled prince, evil trolls, frightened villagers, and a lumbering giant bear, along …

Jacksonville University’s Theatre Department presented the World Premiere of “String,” the first full length play in JU’s history written by a current JU student and produced by the theatre department. Carlos Adorno, who is now in his third year at JU, penned this family drama and also appears on stage as Chris. In the program credits, Adorno credits Professor Brian Palmer, Dr. Tim Snyder, and Professor for their assistance in bringing this story to life. The show is set in New York City, and most of the action occurs in the modest apartment of “Ma,” a middle-aged Hispanic woman, portrayed …