Tag Archives: Curtis Williams

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 REVIEW A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW by Dick Kerekes & Leisla Sansom has opened a wonderful production of “,” by . The play opened on Broadway in 1997, received the 1997 Tony for Best Play, and ran for almost 600 performances. “Ballyhoo” is the second of Uhry’s “The Atlantic Trilogy,” which includes “Driving Miss Daisy” (1998 Pulitzer for Drama) and “Parade” (1999 Tony for Best Book). TJ’s production opened January 12, and will run through January 28, 2018, at 2032 San Marco Boulevard. Call 396-4425 for reservations. The play is set in Atlanta in 1939, and begins in the …

A  JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF THE FINE ARTS REVIEW Jacksonville University opened a four-performance run of “” during October 26 – 29, 2017, staged in the school’s at 2800 University Boulevard North. With ticket prices of $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, military, students, and children, the large theatre was almost filled to capacity on opening night. This musical comedy opened on Broadway in 2001 and ran for almost a thousand performances. It was nominated for ten Tony Awards and won three, for Best Book, Best Original Score, and Best Direction of a Musical. The Dual Critics saw the …

On Sunday July 30, 2017, Theatre Jacksonville held its annual celebration honoring volunteers from the 2016 – 2017 season. combines this special event with its annual meeting for members. For the second year, the celebration was at San Marco, a unique restaurant noted for its Thai and Southeast Asian cuisine, and its excellent selection of craft beers. , the outgoing President of the Board, gave an enthusiastic summary of the past season and its accomplishments. While this is a difficult time financially for many theatres, Ms. Thomas announced that TJ has finished in the black. She also thanked the individuals …

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 …

The International Thespian Troupe 3929 of Stanton College Prep presented their annual musical at  on December 11, 12, 14, 2014. The 1972 hit, “,” by  and , was a well-chosen selection for Stanton’s talented students. The original production ran for almost two thousand performances on Broadway and is now in a fabulous revival that has garnered multiple Tonys and rave reviews. Directors Shirley Sacks and Jeff Grove chose a minimalist approach to the production, with an open stage and limited set pieces which included benches, a tree stump, and a bed on wheels. This was quite a contrast to last …

The  presented “,” a musical comedy, on stage at the  during October 24-26, 2014. This innovative musical has remained popular since it was nominated for six Tony Awards in 2005 and garnered two, for Best Book of a Musical and Best Actor. No doubt it will be a show with a long life, as spelling bee competitions remain so popular that they are featured on ESPN, the sports network. The story is that of a small town spelling bee, featuring a cast of eccentric characters. The setting and story are pure fiction and lots of fun. If you are not …

Judging from the auditions turnout at  on the weekend of January 25 & 26, the hottest show in town in June, 2014 will be “.” Now released for non-professional theatres, TJ was one of the lucky theatres to be awarded the rights to produce it. This is one of the most popular musicals in theatre history and certainly one of the most successful, with over 11,000 performances in London, and more than 6,000 on Broadway. In 2012 , the musical was made into a movie with  and . We had not been to auditions for any play in several years, and …