On Stage

FSCJ HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM [email protected] The and the opened the 11th edition of the Summer Musical Theatre Experience (SMTE) on July 22, 2016 with a revival of ’s “Cats,” with additional performances scheduled during July 23 –24 and July 29 – 31. You can order tickets by phone at (904) 646-2222 or (904) 442-2929 or online at www.fscjartistseries.org. All shows are at the on the South Campus of FSCJ on Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville, Florida. Cats have nine lives, or so the myth goes. “” obviously has …

PLAYERS BY THE SEA THEATRE REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM [email protected] Our friends at and the present “,” the dynamic 2010 Tony Award winner for Best Musical; the production opened July 22, 2016 and will remain on stage through August 13 at 106 6th Street North in , Florida. Call 904-249-0289 or visit playersbythesea.org for tickets. We recommend calling early, as ticket demand is high. With music and lyrics by ( keyboardist) and book and lyrics by (“I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change), the musical is loosely based on a real personality. Memphis …

is the new home for Jacksonville’s longest running African-American production company, Stage Aurora Theatrical Company. Stage Aurora has produced over 100 theatrical productions including Pulitzer Prize Winners Driving Miss Daisy, To Kill A Mockingbird, Fences, and The Piano Lesson, and Tony Award Winners The Color Purple and A Raisin in the Sun. Other classics include Crowns, Miss Ever’s Boys, Mama I Want to Sing, Disney’s High School Musical, and a community favorite, Darryl Reuben Hall’s Frat House. The Company just wrapped a three week performance of The Wiz at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre and are preparing to produce Dreamgirls at …

A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW by DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM [email protected] Awkward Silence JAX, a sketch comedy troupe founded in 2014, presented its latest Jacksonville performance during July 16-17, 2016 at to sold out audiences. They have previously performed in a number of shows in Northeast Florida, and branched out with an appearance at the 2015 Orlando Fringe Festival. For , they presented twenty-five skits of varied lengths on varied subjects; many were focused on political topics and seemed ripped directly from current news headlines. Of course, , Republican presumptive presidential nominee, received much of the attention (presumptive, as we …

The 5 & Dime Theatre Company A Dual Critics Review by Dick Kerekes & Leisla Sansom [email protected] The opened British playwright ’s thought-provoking “’’ on July 8, 2016. It will run at the in Jacksonville’s Riverside neighborhood through July 17. Visit www.the 5anddime.org for more information and tickets. Since its debut in 2011, The 5 & Dime has brought eighteen previous intriguing/challenging plays to Jacksonville audiences using various venues. Their current production lives up to the standards they have set. “Constellation” can be an education for those who see it. The play suggests that we may be living in a …

  In parts of Africa, the word Sankofa translates to proverb “it is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.” It also refers to the Adrinka symbol represented by a mythical bird with its head turned backwards, taking an egg off its back in the stylized shape of a heart. The Akan believe it is necessary to reflect on the past to ensure the strength of the future, that there must be movement and new learning as time passes.  As this forward march proceeds, the knowledge of the past must never be forgotten. is a journey in time, …

PEACH STATE SUMMER MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM [email protected] The songs of the late great come to life on the stage of at Fine Arts Building through July 16, 2016. This musical tribute to the man in black was created by Richard Maltby, Jr. and conceived by William Meade. This musical revue has 32 songs that were associated with Johnny Cash, who passed away in 2003 at the age of 71. Cash was a multi-talented performer who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame (1980), as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame …

PEACH STATE SUMMER THEATRE REVIEW DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM [email protected] Do you like musicals? Then you would love the production of the Gershwin brother’s jukebox musical “” in Valdosta, Georgia. The production will be on stage on the campus of Valdosta State University in repertory with “Beauty and the Beast” and “Ring of Fire” through July 17, 2016. This delightfully zany musical, filled with the music and lyrics of and set in 1927 during Prohibition, was written by Tony Award winning playwright Joe DiPietro. He is well-known for such musicals as “Memphis,” “All Shook Up,” and “I Love You, …

PEACH STATE SUMMER THEATRE MUSICAL REVIEW DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM [email protected] in Valdosta, Georgia has been presenting three professional musicals each summer in repertory for a number of years. Each year they have selected one or more that is kid-friendly. This year’s selection is”,” which many adults also find enjoyable. The musical is an adaptation of a 1991 Disney film, an animated musical that was made into a stage musical in 1994. It remains one of the most popular shows in American theatrical history and is frequently produced. Based on a French fairy tale, the story is that of …

Saturday, June 25th, the Jacksonville Dance Theatre performed its fourth annual concert at the Florida Theatre. As the audience arrived, the lobby was buzzing with admiring students and supporters of the company’s Artistic Director and co-founder Rebecca Levy. A group of preteen girls still in their dance studio jackets from their afternoon classes were giddy at the thought of one day dancing under Levy at FSCJ’s danceWorks program or even with Jacksonville Dance Theater. At the other end of the lobby, two of Levy’s past danceWorks students reverently nostalgic about studying under the dancer extraordinaire. Levy was careful to note …