Theatre Reviews

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 …

This October, the talented cast of warp right onto the stage and into the minds of the patrons. Directed by Breanna Shuman and Kayla O’Connor, the production does not miss a beat as it draws the audience further and further into the science fiction story widely known as the Rocky Horror Show! The audience is encouraged to dress up and either buy a bag of props or bring your own (see approved prop list below). Usherette/Magenta (Caitlin Charrier) opens the show with “Science Fiction/Double Feature” as she sets the mood for the entrance of Brad () and Janet (). Blair …

Looking around the Players by the Sea Studio Theatre ahead of the opening of its new psychological thriller “Pontypool,” the anticipation for what was to come was building. audiences were warned that there was no intermission and once seated, there was nothing to do but ride out the storm. Set in a fictional Florida town of Pontypool, reworked to bring the destination south from Canada to Jacksonville. The script was edited by local playwright extraordinaire with permission from author Tony Burgess to change the original snowstorm to hurricane – a force of nature all Floridians can relate to and following …

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 …

Players by the Sea is storming its studio stage with an immersive psychological thriller designed to captivate audiences in real time. “Pontypool” tells the story of a massive storm that causes the townspeople to develop strange speech patterns and commit horrific acts of violence. The hour-long show has no intermission. Once the audience is seated and the virus takes hold, there is nothing to do but ride out the storm. “” opens Oct 26 with an original art exhibit entitled “Verba” by on display in the lobby. The featured works are inspired by the production. The production runs through Nov. …

Orange Park Community Theatre’s (OPCT) second production for this season,  by well-known author Tim Kelly, is Halloween-themed for the time of year.  Even the ladies at concessions are in the spirit of the season. The old house at Cliff’s End, owned by the young Stella Meredith (), has stood vacant for years.  Londoners Roddy Fitzgerald () and his sister, Pamela (), having decided life in London is too chaotic, happen across Cliff’s End in their search for a new home.  Drawn to it, Pamela convinces Roddy that she can fix up the house while he continues his writing.  They are …