Theatre Reviews

St. Augustine’s opened the Florida premier of “The Nance” on June 2, 2017 which will remain on the Matuza Main Stage through June 25, 2017. The theatre is located at 11 Old Mission Avenue; call 825-1164 or visit limelight-theatre.org for reservations. The play, written by , received three Tony awards after opening on Broadway in 2013 with star Nathan Lane in the lead role, and both entertains and educates. “” is set in New York City in 1937. The city is filled with burlesque theatres, which feature performances filled with adult content and allusions to sexual situations by naughty bawdy …

PLAYERS BY THE SEA THEATRE REVIEW A Dual Critics Review by Dick Kerekes & Leisla Sansom Jacksonville Beach’s opened the world premiere of the captivating “” on May 26, which will run through June 3, 2017.  Call 249-0289 or visit playersbythesea.org for additional information and reservations. This work launches Player’s “New Voices,” a landmark addition to Jacksonville’s theatre scene which is designed to support the development of new plays, and will be continued next season. While Players has earned a reputation for encouraging and supporting new playwrights in the past, New Voices provides writers with guidance, advice, compensation for their …

ALHAMBRA DINNER THEATRE A Dual Critics Review by Dick Kerekes & Leisla Sansom Jacksonville’s continued the year-long celebration of its fiftieth birthday by presenting another great play from the past with Robert Harling’s “,” which opened May 24 and will run until June 25, 2017. This show has blossomed into a classic dramedy since its debut in 1987, remaining popular in the US and many other countries throughout the world. A film adaptation was released in 1989. For this choice, the Alhambra, which opened in 1967, has drawn from its history. In 1969, the theatre staged “Barefoot in the Park,” …

PHASE EIGHT THEATRE COMPANY REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW by DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM The new presented a world premiere of “” in a readers theatre production during May 25-27, 2017. This dynamic ensemble theatrical company, which launched its inaugural season in January and does not have a permanent home as of this review, seeks out interesting venues for its shows. “MLK” was staged at the at 30 E. Adams Street, which many readers will remember was the for many years prior to being replaced by the new library across from . This play was written and directed by …

ATLANTIC BEACH EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW by DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM The Atlantic Beach Experimental Theatre has opened a terrific Southern comedy at 716 Ocean Boulevard in Atlantic Beach Florida. “” opened on May 5 and will run through May 21, 2017. Call 249-7177 or visit abettheatre.com for additional information and reservations. “The Hallelujah Girls,” written by the team of Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jaime Wooten, is the funniest play we have seen so far this year. The playwrights (sometimes known collectively as Jones Hope Wooten) have written numerous successful comedies; several have made their …

FSCJ ARTIST SERIES BROADWAY REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM The opened “” on May 2, which will be onstage through May 7, 2017 at the Times Union Center in downtown Jacksonville. This musical won six Tony awards in 2013, including Best Musical. For tickets and additional information, call (904) 442-2929 or visit fscjartistseries.org. Those who love exciting theatre will love “Kinky Boots,” a show with a message of learning to accept others for who they are, which includes superb voices, superb dancing, and an upbeat ending. The musical was based on the 2005 British …

PLAYERS BY THE SEA THEATRE REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM Jacksonville Beach’s , with support from sponsors Scott and Nancy McLucas, has opened a revival of “,” the 1994 Pulitzer Prize winning play by the late Edward Albee (1928 – 2016). The opening was on April 28, and the production will remain on stage until May 13, 2017. Visit playersbythesea.org or call 249-0289 for reservations and additional information. This is only one of the many great plays written by in a career which included “The Zoo Story” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (which …

Christ Episcopal Church School of the Arts Review A Dual Critics Review by Dick Kerekes & Leisla Sansom Strange animals are lurking on stage in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida at 400 San Juan Drive, where has opened a wonderful new musical. “” opened on April 26, and will run through May 7, 2017. The musical is based on ’s “,” which was first published in 1908. The book is in public domain, and a number of adaptations have been written. The talented wrote this splendid version on short notice. He had been expecting to direct “Once Upon a Mattress,” but …

5 & DIME THEATRE REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW BY DICK KEREKES & LEISLA SANSOM The  opened its very first musical in their new location at 122 Adams Street. The company and sponsors Rob & Donna Banks opened the Florida premier of the dynamic musical “A New Brain” on April 21, on stage until May 7, 2017. We wonder if anyone has written a book about where composers and playwrights find their subjects. If yes, the story of “,” which debuted in 1998, certainly would be included in that book. When composer experienced dizziness and partial paralysis in 1992 (the …