Review: LET'S FALL IN LOVE at Florida Repertory Theatre

LET'S FALL IN LOVE at Florida Repertory Theatre is a World-Premiere Cabaret event, created by Evan Tyrone Martin, Jason Parrish, and Victoria Casella, celebrating the music of several well-known golden-age musicians.

Evan Tyrone Martin stars in the show, and he is wonderful. It is so captivating to see and hear how he changes his voice and his persona to match each artist who he is singing a song by currently. That requires a lot of talent, and I was very impressed with his charismatic performance. This is a beautiful show that tells a story about his experiences growing up with music and how his grandmother really created that love in him. He perfectly performs songs by iconic artists, including Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Bing Crosby, and Tony Bennett.

The band who accompanies him includes Victoria Casella on the piano, Matthew Koller on the drums, and Perry Orfanella playing the bass. They all did a fantastic job, and it was fun to see how much they were incorporated into the show.

In this production, Florida Rep's ArtStage Studio Theatre has been transformed into "Club Interlude," and I loved the concept. The set was designed by Dennis Maulden, with lighting by Joel Zishuk, sound by John McQuiggan, and costumes by Anthony Toney. Florida Rep's Associate Artistic Director, Jason Parrish, directed the production. The entire creative team put in some incredible work for Florida Rep's first professional production back inside their venue since the beginning of the pandemic. This is definitely something special.

This is such a heartwarming, fun show. It was the perfect way to open up Florida Rep's 24th season, and I encourage you to get tickets for this production soon!

Florida Rep has taken clear COVID safety measures, currently including requiring masks as well as a negative COVID test (or proof of vaccination, if you opt for such instead). This is one of the safest-feeling theatres I have visited since the pandemic began. I can imagine patrons are just as excited as I am to get back inside their theatre, and I appreciate the measures they have taken to make sure everyone is safe.

LET'S FALL IN LOVE runs through November 7 in Florida Rep's ArtStage Studio Theatre. For more info and to buy tickets, click here: https://www.floridarep.org/the-season/lets-fall-in-love/

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