On Stage

A DUAL CRITICS ATLANTIC BEACH EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE REVIEW ABET opened a two-week run (Oct 17 – Nov 5, 2017) – of “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds” by Paul Zindel (1936 –2003). The play received the Obie Award and the Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best American Play in 1970, followed by the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1971. The story is that of a dysfunctional family and is semi-autobiographical, as Zindel incorporates material drawn from his difficult teen years with an impoverished single mother, and his career as a chemistry teacher prior to his later success as a …

A DUAL CRITICS DOUGLAS ANDERSON SCHOOL OF THE ARTS THEATRE REVIEW The Theatre Department opened Steven Dietz’s “Lonely Planet” on October 19, 2017 for a run of eight performances through October 27. DA’s production is the Florida premier. The play was written by prolific playwright (who wrote thirty-four plays during 1981 – 2015), and is set in the late 1980’s. It debuted in 1993, a decade after the recognition of the beginning of the AIDS crisis. A Wikipedia post from 2015 which identifies fourteen plays with HIV/AIDS as a major theme includes Dietz’s play. Among the most frequently staged are …

Hope McMath, a leader in the Jacksonville arts community, has moved on from her post as director at the , to run a new endeavor–Yellow House. Inside Yellow House, just across from the , at first glance, it looks like a gallery, albeit one with storage issues–besides art, the first room of the gallery features pallets of water, cereal boxes and other sundries, ready to go to communities in need. When hurricane Irma hit, mobilized as quickly as possible, getting much needed supplies to those living in Jacksonville, especially in the Washington Heights area, which was flooded. She had specific …

THE 5 & DIME THEATRE COMPANY REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY Dick Kerekes & Leisla Sansom   Jacksonville’s Downtown opened “” on October 13, 2017. It will run through October 28, and is sponsored by Vanity Furs and Jacksonville Chiropractic & Acupuncture. The musical, based on an earlier film series, debuted in Canada in 2003 and played Off-Broadway for three months during 2006-2007. Subsequent tours and productions by professional and community theatres throughout the states followed. The month of October was perfect timing for the 5 & Dime’s production, since we’re prepared to be mystified and terrified as Halloween …

OCT. 14-15, PRESENTED BY FSCJ ARTIST SERIES It’s been 10 years since comedian Steve Solomon first performed his scripted, one-man show “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish and I’m in Therapy” on the Broadway stage. He continues to share the hilarious antics of his colorful family who put the “fun” in dysfunctional. For Solomon, the show is a love letter to his parents, who inspired the show’s title and a decade’s worth of material. To audiences, it’s the reassurance that maybe our families aren’t so crazy after all. The FSCJ Artist Series presents “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish and I’m …

SOUTHERN MOMMA AND ‘EM TOUR Where: Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts When: Oct. 14th, 7:30pm Tickets: $23-27 More Info: www.comediandarrenknight.com One of the perks of parenthood is the ability to publicly embarrass your children but comedian and social media star Darren Knight has flipped the script by basing a popular internet character on his own mom and grandmother and the expressions he heard growing up in Alabama. Knight’s Southern Momma is known for spouting such catchphrases as, “cut them eyes at me one more time,” and “damn Randy, hell,” which sounds more like ‘hay-ull’ in Knight’s syrupy southern drawl. His …

A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW Jacksonville’s newest theatre company, Phase Eight Theatre Company, launched its first season in January, 2017. The company staged “Jesus Hopped the “A” Train,” the fifth show of the season, during September 28 — October l at a studio in ’s broadcasting facility in . ‘s latest play is contemporary, relevant, and thought-provoking. This play, by Stephen Adly Guirgis, debuted at the New York 2000 Fringe Festival. Guirgis has authored ten plays; “Between Riverside and Crazy” won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for drama. Several of his plays were originally directed by Phillip Seymour Hoffman (1967 — 2014), a well-known …