Neighborhoods

A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW Jacksonville University’s Department of Theatre has staged three performances of “In The Heights” at the during January 17 -19, 2020. The musical was a blockbuster, with book by Quiara Alegria Hudes and music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. A Broadway opening in March 2008 garnered a Pulitzer prize nomination for Drama, thirteen Tony nominations and four awards: Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography, Best Orchestration. And as you probably know, Miranda didn’t stop there – he wrote and starred in “Hamilton,” which was nominated for sixteen Tonys in 2016, won eleven awards, and received the …

A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW Jacksonville Beaches is always coming up with new ideas. Last year, they created a “Second Season” to expand their offerings. The plays, most with limited sets and costuming, are staged in the Studio Theatre, which has about eighty seats. The first play of this venture was “Memories of Ruby Mae” in September, 2019. Players did not sell tickets for the play but did accept donations. This year they staged “The Immigrant,” during January 9 – 11. “The Immigrant” was written in 1985 by multi-talented Mark Harelik, an American television, film, and stage actor, and playwright. The play …

Love Letters: A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW  Jacksonville Florida’s opened “Love Letters” on January 9th, 2020, which remains on stage through February 9th, and is the first of nine golden oldies in the Alhambra’s 2020 season. The play, written by A.R. Gurney, premiered in New York in 1988 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.  Casting is easy as the play has only two characters: Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III. Throughout the play, they sit at separate tables on opposite sides of the stage and read cards, notes and letters they have sent to each other over the …

Shadowlands: A Dual Critics Review    opened the second play of its 100th season with Shadowlands by William Nicholson on January 10, 2019, which will remain on stage through January 26. This true story, new to our local stages, is both a romantic drama and an exploration of challenging theological issues.  The play opened in London in 1989, premiered on Broadway in 1990, and garnered a Tony nomination.  Shadowlands is set in the 1950’s in England, and begins with confirmed bachelor C. S. Lewis (known as “Jack”) carousing with his buddies, a scene meant to show his comfortable carefree life.  He …

Interview with RENT cast member Cody Jenkins It has been over 10,518,984 minutes since RENT first measured the value of friendship, the weight of artistic integrity, and the struggle to keep them intact while living and loving fiercely among the rising tides of addiction and the AIDS epidemic. The 20th anniversary tour of the groundbreaking musical by the late Jonathan Larson celebrates the friendship of seven young artists struggling to pursue their dreams without selling out. The tour stops in Jacksonville January 14-19th at the (www.artistseriesjax.com). Ground breaking, inspiring, hopeful, celebratory – all are descriptors used to measure the impact …

When Grace Potter burst onto the scene, it was impossible to make sense of her good fortune. Blessed with supermodel looks, legs for days, commanding the stage with soft purr to a husky growl. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals were festival darlings, opening for artists like Robert Cray and cranking out hits such as the sexy earworm ‘Paris (Ooh La La La).’ The band reached number one bolstered by the hit ‘Stars,’ and, indeed, it seemed they were aligned in her favor. Potter was a comet streaking across the night sky, until it all faded to black. After weathering an …

Jacksonville’s fabulous closed out 2019, a year filled with many outstanding sold-out productions, which included their traditional New Year’s Eve Gala. Suggested attire included formal wear and 1920’s flapper era garb, and we saw many many ladies in beautiful dresses this year. The party began around 6:00 pm in the lobby and library with wait staff offering champagne flutes and fine appetizers (best-ever appetizer: Classic Oysters Rockefeller). Seating followed at 6:30. Dinner included Lobster Bisque or Caesar Salad and four entrée choices: the most popular was Filet & Maine Lobster with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Other choices included deviled crab, …

It’s the holiday season and options are abundant in the Jacksonville community but one familiar classic has landed in Fleming Island and shouldn’t be missed. A Christmas Story at The Island Theater is a beautiful presentation of the beloved movie live on stage. Directed by Shelley Finn, the production is the play version of the hit movie and brings to life all the iconic scenes in an immersive atmosphere that guarantees you’ll feel like you are sitting right in the Parker’s living room. Audience members can sit near the infamous flagpole or sit at the front of the class with …