Tag Archives: Brandon Hines

A DUAL CRITICS SET STUDIOS THEATRE REVIEW  Atlantic Beach’s SET Studios brought Les Misérables (school edition) to their stage in Atlantic Beach for three performances during May 14 – 26, 2019. The musical is based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel and is one of the world’s longest running musicals — a modern classic which premiered in Paris in 1980.  The story is filled with multiple characters and memorable songs. The world loved it; Americans loved it. The 1987 Broadway productions garnered seven Tonys. We have seen the musical many times – on stage, in movie theatres, and on television. And while …

A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW The All Beaches Experimental Theatre (ABET) opened “The Robber Bridegroom” on January 25th, 2019. This high-spirited musical is sponsored by John Johnson and runs through February 10th. The production by is the North Florida premier. The story is based on a 1942 novella by Eudora Welty adapted from a story the Grimm brothers included in their book of European fairy tales (published 1812); she changed the setting from Germany to Mississippi. The story was rewritten as a musical in the early 1970s, with book and lyrics by Alfred Uhry and music by Robert Waldman. This  version …

Downtown Jacksonville’s The 5 & Dime Theatre went back to 1970 – almost five decades ago – to present Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Company,” which opened on April 20th, 2018. Remarkably, this Tony Award winner is just as relevant today as when it first opened on Broadway. The production runs through May 6th, 2018, with evening performances on Fridays and Saturdays, a matinee on Sunday, April 29th, and both a matinee and an evening performance on Sunday, May 6th. See their Facebook page for tickets and additional information and tickets. “Company” revolves around Bobby, a New York man-about-town who is celebrating his …

“Feed Me.” With just two simple words, a villain is born. Or sprouted, in this case, under curious circumstances during a solar eclipse of the sun. With an immensely talented cast, superb direction, spot-on vocals and expert puppeteering, Players by the Sea’s staging of Little Shop of Horrors is a riotous good time that is out of this world. “Little Shop of Horrors” is staged through November 18 at PBTS, 106 6th Street N. in Jacksonville Beach (www.playersbythesea.org). This delightfully campy musical directed by Jocelyn Geronimo is based on the sci-fi Broadway play by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. It …

The tragedies that occurred on 9/11 shook the world to its core and the fallout inspired the need for change on a global scale. Punk rock pioneers Green Day channeled the uncertainties of the post-9/11 era into the bold, daring rock opera American Idiot that proved there is still nothing more rock ‘n roll than rebellion. Released in 2004, American Idiot fused the rock concept arrangement of The Who’s Tommy with the musical theater format of Jesus Christ, Superstar. This cultural cross pollination birthed the hit Broadway musical of the same name that bridged the gap between politics and youthful …

  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, …

PLAYERS BY THE SEA THEATRE REVIEW Jacksonville Beach’s opened its 50th season on September 18, 2015 with a revival of the 1984 winner of six Tony Awards, “,” which will run through October 10. Reservations are highly recommended; call 904-249-0289 or visit theatrejax.org. When this play first hit Broadway in 1983, it was considered controversial as it is about a committed gay couple facing a family crisis when their son decides to marry. As far as we know, this production is only the second in North Florida; we recall it being staged at the some years ago. In view of …

 and the  opened the 9th edition of this summer musical theatre experience, with “.” We are sure most audience members on the opening night of July 26, 2014 were familiar with the musical. Originally a 1980 movie, it has remained popular and appears on cable from time to time. In 1982, it was made into a successful television series that ran for six years. The stage musical has Florida ties, as it was originally produced in Miami in 1988 at the .The plot concerns the aspirations and lives of several students attending a  in  in the ’80s.There are fourteen main …