Once On This Island runs now through February 20 at Broward Center’s Amaturo Theater with performances Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, Sunday Evenings at 6:30pm with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 1pm. Tickets start at $49 and are available online at BrowardCenter.org, or Ticketmaster.com; by phone at 954.462.0222 or in person at the Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office.
Slow Burn Theatre Company and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts invite audiences to the Olivier Award-winning Once On This Island presented by American National Bank. The original production earned eight Tony nominations for its Broadway run, including Best Musical, Book and Score, and the 2017 Production won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.
In the almost 60 years since its Broadway premiere in 1963, Jerry Herman’s classic musical HELLO, DOLLY! has been performed countless times, in countless theatres by countless companies all with a common goal – share the exuberant tale of the indefatigable matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi and her quest to sow love in the hearts of the people of turn-of-the-century New York. And through its current production of this stalwart classic, The Henegar Center hits all the right notes, gets all the expected laughs, and delivers a fresh, fun and lively night of classic musical theatre for Melbourne audiences.
Winners have been announced for the 2021 BroadwayWorld Orlando Awards. The 2021 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.
This is the last chance to vote for the 2021 BroadwayWorld Orlando Awards! The 2021 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.
Time is running out to vote for for the 2021 BroadwayWorld Orlando Awards! The 2021 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.
Our readers set the nominees, and now voting is open for the 2021 BroadwayWorld Orlando Awards! The 2021 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.
Our readers set the nominees, and now voting is open for the 2021 BroadwayWorld Orlando Awards! The 2021 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.
The holidays, for many, are about family, food, and traditions. We listen to familiar songs, pull out decorations that have been in the family for generations, and partake in the annual viewing of familiar holiday classics. One of those classics, that holds a special place for many, and which has been gracing page, stage and screen for almost 200 years is Charles Dickens’ “Ghost Story of Christmas” A Christmas Carol. The tale of crotchety and greedy old Ebenezer Scrooge and his supernatural Christmas Eve adventure through his past, present and future is so familiar it can often feel stale and overdone. But when a fresh twist on the story, say, in musical form, comes around it is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a holiday favorite in a new and exciting way. That’s the case for A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE NEW MUSICAL currently being presented by The Henegar Center in Melbourne, FL.
BIG props to the artistic team behind BIG: THE MUSICAL at Garden Theatre. They built a BIG all-wood roller coaster right on stage. It's a beauty to look at, honestly as dazzling as the famous real-deal I rode at Dollywood two weeks ago. You can't ride the Garden's, but it does move. The show's various scene settings, whether a two-story apartment or a Manhattan office building, are hidden within the coaster's twisting support beams and break out to roll downstage. It makes a BIG Impression...
The holidays, for many of us, are for family, food, and good cheer. They are also a time where tradition plays a major role. From favorite dishes around the holiday table to annual visits to see Santa Claus at the mall, traditions help ground us and connect us to a time when things were simpler. And nothing screams holiday traditions like the annual viewing of Christmas classics like the Claymation staple, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. But this year, that tradition is being brought to technicolor life on stage at the Titusville Playhouse in a new and exciting production of RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, a stage musical based on the classic Christmas special.
Based on the hit holiday movie, Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised by Santa and his elves, unaware that he is actually a human, until his enormous stature and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth.
Ever wish you could be a kid again? Be careful what you wish for! 80s nostalgia comes to Winter Garden with Big, the Musical! Directed by Joseph C. Walsh, the adaptation of the 1988 film runs November 19 - December 19, 2021.
In today’s society, when someone is born with a birth defect, has an unusual look or is simply unlike most others, we use our understanding of science and a myriad of protections and laws to ensure those individuals receive equal treatment. They have the opportunity (and right) to live their life in the same way as those born without disability or disfigurement. But that has not always been the case. People born in eras past with even minor physical or mental deformities were labeled “freaks” and consigned to live in the shadows, or in many cases, in the spotlight of the circus side show. But underneath the bearded lady’s beard or the wolf boy’s “fur” was always a living, breathing human being, with real emotions, needs, and dreams. And many of their stories have been lost to history. But not so for the story of the Hilton sisters, as told in Bill Russell and Henry Krieger’s musical SIDE SHOW, currently playing at The Henegar Center in Melbourne, FL.
Orlando Repertory Theatre opens the season with a chilling retelling of Washington Irving's classic, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, adapted for the stage by Derek G. Martin and Jesse M. Sullivan. Just in time for Halloween, this production runs October 8 – 31, 2021, and is sponsored in part by the Orange County Government through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program.
Everyone loves to cheer for the underdog, especially when they are standing up for something that needs to change – injustice, cruelty, unfairness, or lack of voice. And in many ways, it is easy to relate to those struggling to be heard - the lone, but loud, voices of reason cutting through the noise, or the brave souls willing to stand up for what's right. These stories have been told throughout time and in countless mediums – but there is something about musical theatre that gives a story like that extra passion, energy, and urgency. So it is with NEWSIES, the opening production of The Henegar Center’s 31st season, which brings the classic Disney musical to vivid life in Melbourne with an exciting and highly polished production that shares the story of how a few young men 'seized the day' and made a real impact.
“THE BODYGUARD on stage sounds fun,” I thought, “but is there really anybody in Winter Garden who can handle Whitney Houston songs for two whole hours?” It turns out there are at least two people up to the task, and The Garden’s got them both...
Garden Theatre welcomes Central Florida audiences to the regional premiere of this sensational summer musical. Directed by Sara Catherine Barnes, The Bodyguard runs July 9 - August 1, 2021.
What happens when you take a 16th-century prose romance and turn it into a musical with a score by the most successful all-female rock band in history, The Go Go’s? You get HEAD OVER HEELS, a musical that took Broadway by storm in 2018 and that will have its Central Florida premiere June 10 – 13th by Encore! Performing Arts at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center in Orlando. Directing this production is Encore’s Creative Director, Michael Rodgers, and Choreographing the production is Adonus Mabry. I had the pleasure of sitting down with both Michael and Adonus to talk about the show, what it’s like creating a musical during a pandemic, and what audiences can expect from this exciting and new theatrical experience.
As those of us who spend significant time in the theatre know, the last six months have been very difficult. With canceled productions, performers out of work, and audiences without the live entertainment that enlightens and enriches their lives, there has been much uncertainty, on top of all the concerns for our own health and well-being. As someone who used to be in the audience reviewing productions almost every week pre-pandemic, I have missed the regular cadence of seeing, and writing about theatre. So, while we wait for things to get back to normal (or a new normal), I wanted to take a moment to spotlight some of the local creative professionals here in Orlando who bring theatrical magic to life on stage. To start, I sat down with Cliff Price, the creative designer behind some of the beautiful and creative scenic designs that audiences have seen in theaters across Central Florida over the last twenty years. Cliff shared with me his creative process, his perspective on the importance of good design and some of his favorite past designs.
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