Kimberly Moy

With St. Patrick's Day is a couple months away, you can get an early dose of Irish culture by seeing RIVERDANCE, which is coming to the Dr. Phillips Center later this month. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, the beloved RIVERDANCE still delights audiences around the world. For 23 year old principal dancer, Will Bryant, touring with RIVERDANCE has been a dream come true.

Still shaking off the holidays? Well look no further than to rock into the new year with SCHOOL OF ROCK at the Dr. Phillips Center. Based off the 2003 movie starring Jack Black, this musical features new music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It plays like a rock concert that is fun for both families and adults with a talented cast that delights all.

Broadway's longest running musical, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has a sequel and this week it is in Orlando. With music written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, one would hope that the mysteries from the original finally resolve themselves. With every fiber of my being, I wanted to like this show; however, this production left me shaking my head.

DADDY LONG LEGS makes its Central Florida debut at Winter Park Playhouse. This charming newish musical is based on a novel by Jean Webster with music and lyrics by Paul Gordon. I found the music absolutely stunning. The two-person cast executed the piece beautifully in such a moving way; however, I got hung up on the plot holes and my jaded view of the world. Still, I left thinking, I wish I could see this again, because of the music and cast.

As we prepare to sit with our families this Thanksgiving, we all experience joy or dread about seeing our relatives. Like it or not, these people are blood - flaws and all. ORPHANS tells the story of two brothers. I had a chance to catch up with director, Marco DiGeorge about Theater on the Edge's latest production.

LOVE NEVER DIES: The Phantom Returns is very high on my list to see. Based off a sequel novel, The Phantom of Manhattan by Frederick Forsyth, LOVE NEVER DIES continues the luxurious love story that will be soon celebrating 30 years on Broadway.

Before Gloria Estefan became a Latin pop superstar, she was a young performer whose family immigrated from Cuba. Gloria's mother, Gloria Fajardo, made her own career sacrifices for her family, which caused strife between her and her daugher. I had a chance to speak with Nancy Ticotin who plays Gloria Fajardo in ON YOUR FEET.

Eleemosynary is now a word I use in my daily vocabulary after learning about this play at Rollins College's Fred Stone Theatre. Written by Lee Blessing, it is the story of three strong women with distinct character traits. I had a chance to chat with student director Kaitlyn Harrington about her process and about ELEEMOSYNARY.

UCF Senior Kyle Laing recently appeared in Theatre UCF's OF THEE I SING. We had a moment to chat with Kyle and his experience at UCF.

Then there is HAND TO GOD, a play that hit Broadway in 2015 and notably starred Bob Saget for a bit. It's raunchy, it's laugh out loud funny, and it's got a great cast, which makes for a crazy night out.

Before Gloria Estefan became a Latin pop superstar, she was a young performer whose family immigrated from Cuba. Gloria's mother, Gloria Fajardo, made her own career sacrifices for her family, which caused strife between her and her daugher. I had a chance to speak with Nancy Ticotin who plays Gloria Fajardo in ON YOUR FEET.

LIFE COULD BE A DREAM and is a dream at Winter Park Playhouse's latest revue. The music from this era is iconic, upbeat, and harkens back to a simpler time when dreams were made over the radio. The musical numbers are all instantly recognizable and make for a toe tapping enjoyable performance.

The Garden Theatre kicks off it's 10th season with JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. This production features a number of actors who are debuting at the Garden for the first time and a number of returning faces who are all ready to rock. With a familiar story, a famous score, and great live musicians this production should have risen to the top of Garden Theater debuts.

Kavin plays Lun Tha, who is Tuptim's secret lover. Tuptim is of course a young slave girl brought to the King of Siam as a gift from the king of Burma. Lun Tha escorts her to the Siamese king's court. The pair hide their love, until Anna finds out and Tuptim and Lun Tha go on the run.

With so many great performances and classes throughout Orlando, the next logical step would increase our national arts footprint by fostering new work. That's where Winter Park Playhouse's Florida Festival of New Musicals comes in.

The first ever New Musical Festival comes to Orlando this week at Winter Park Playhouse. If you've ever wondered where musicals are born, this is how. With the help of arts organizations like Winter Park Playhouse, musical creators can refine their pieces and use it as a stepping stone towards publication. Orlando is quite the creative place and having a new musical festival fits right in. I took a moment to chat with Roy Alan, who serves as the Artistic Director for Winter Park Playhouse about the festival.

If you took almost all your favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein songs and put them together into one two hour playlist you'd have SOME ENCHANTED EVENING at Winter Park Playhouse. This combination of hit songs performed by some of Orlando's best voices make for a thoroughly enjoyable night. It's like a Rodgers and Hammerstein playlist without commercials.

All's fair in love and politics. Maybe that's not the correct saying, but it accurately describes David Hare's SKYLIGHT. Currently playing at Mad Cow Theatre, this play focuses on the complexities of the heart. It is dramatic and thought-provoking enough to leave audiences thinking about the plot days after.

Written by Tracy Letts in 2008, the play jumped to Broadway in 2009 and is now a sitcom on CBS. The original play is also now appearing at Theater On The Edge. I had a chance to catch up with Artistic Director, Marco DiGeorge about the show.

This week FINDING NEVERLAND takes the stage as the final show in the 2016 - 2017 FAIRWINDS Broadway in Orlando season. It's been a great season and next year's promises to be even better. FINDING NEVERLAND started touring in October 2016 after a decent Broadway run.