All stories by Bill Hirschman on BroadwayStars

Monday, October 23, 2017

Lizzie: The Musical A Sharp Production At Thinking Cap by Bill Hirschman

Lizzie: The Musical, is making its highly entertaining South Florida debut at Thinking Cap Theatre at The Vanguard. Part of that is due to the snappy lyrics. But mostly it’s because of the…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 11:18PM
Saturday, October 21, 2017

The Little Foxes Explores The Cost Of Greed At Dramaworks by Bill Hirschman

Greed—that timeless vice that steamrolls over everything in its path—is as relevant today as it was in Lillian Hellman’s 1939 drama The Little Foxes, now receiving a sumptuous revival …

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 10:33PM
Friday, October 20, 2017

Lost And Adrift In The ‘Hood: The Mighty Gents At AHCAC by Bill Hirschman

The Mighty Gents is a poignant moving tale worthy of a Greek tragedy except that the protagonists are members of a street gang from the mid-1960s, emotionally, economically and sociologicall…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 02:36PM
Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Dramaworks’ Honors The Family Verities: Greed, Sex and Murder In Revival Of The Little Foxes by Bill Hirschman

Greed. Sexism. Conscienceless businessmen. Blackmail. Rebellious youth. Women fighting to break the glass ceiling. Women using sex to manipulate men. Bank embezzlement. Even murder. No, not …

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 08:36AM
Sunday, October 15, 2017

Sex In Primal Forces’ ‘The Good Girl:’ Is It Real Or Replicant? by Bill Hirschman

In a bit of serendipitous synchronicity with the sequel of Blade Runner and the reboot of Westworld, Primal Forces’ production of The Good Girl explores the complexities of humans creating…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 12:48AM
Thursday, October 12, 2017

The Sound of Music Sings Once More With Feeling In Broward by Bill Hirschman

Perhaps you’ve seen The Sound of Music once too often. But if you have fond memories that seek reawakening or if you have never seen it on stage as opposed to the film, this is an enthusia…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 09:18AM
Wednesday, October 11, 2017

MNM ‘s Less Zesty But More Heartfelt La Cage aux Folles by Bill Hirschman

For a show that shattered a ceiling in 1983, La Cage aux Folles has become a warhorse in 2017. MNM Productions’ edition embraces the spangles, glitz and sheer Jerry Herman of it all. So if…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 12:48AM
Monday, October 9, 2017

A Fraying Promise Exposed In GableStage’s The Humans by Bill Hirschman

GableStage’s production of The Humans is like watching a Kmart photo department family portrait that has been left too near a wall heater. Almost imperceptibly, the edges start to brown, t…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 11:33PM
Saturday, October 7, 2017

Estefans’ Bio-Musical On Your Feet Gets Miamians’ On Theirs by Bill Hirschman

Joy suffused the house on the “opening night” of the national tour of On Your Feet! the bio-musical about Emilio and Gloria Estefan. Part of the palpable elation pouring both ways across…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 04:36PM
Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Estefans’ Inspiring Life Story Comes Back Home In A Musical by Bill Hirschman

Gloria and Emilio Estefan once again are bringing it back home. The national tour of On Your Feet!, an autobiographical Broadway musical powered by their iconic songbook, will open this week…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 10:54PM

City Theatre’s Crackling, Provocative ‘Building the Wall’ Plays a Dystopian Trump Card by Bill Hirschman

City Theatre’s production of Building the Wall opens with audio of then-candidate Donald Trump spewing some of his more incendiary anti-immigration rhetoric. The first line has yet to be s…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 10:04AM
Sunday, October 1, 2017

A Puerile Underpants Is Challenging Sell for Main Street Players’ Likable Cast by Bill Hirschman

Conjuring the lowbrow folderol of an early 20th century burlesque, Steve Martin’s adaptation of this 1910 German sex comedy Underpants performed by Main Street Players is all too quaint fo…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 09:24PM
Thursday, September 28, 2017

Area Stage’s An Octoroon’ Is Stunning Controversial Play That Will Divide Audiences by Bill Hirschman

An Octoroon is the kind of art that defies a Siskel & Ebert thumbs up / thumbs down assessment. You can praise or fault elements of the script or a production, but Area Stage Company’…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 10:18PM

GableStage & Dramaworks Team Up To Co-Produce Indecent by Bill Hirschman

In what is believed to be a groundbreaking move, Palm Beach Dramaworks and GableStage plan a co-production of the acclaimed Broadway play Indecent to be next fall.

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 09:18AM
Sunday, September 24, 2017

Mamet’s Oleanna Remains An Unsettling, Provocative Night by Bill Hirschman

A quarter-century on, the temptation is to r reinterpret Oleanna, David Mamet’s incendiary screed about toxic relations between men and women. But Evening Star Productions’ rendition in …

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 08:24PM
Sunday, September 17, 2017

Area Stage’s An Octoroon May Be Unlike Anything You’ve Seen by Bill Hirschman

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ An Octoroon virtually defines the adjective “provocative.” No matter the quality of the production that the courageous Area Stage Company actually delivers next…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 09:48AM
Thursday, September 14, 2017

Not Enough Heat Or Coherence In Saturday Night Fever by Bill Hirschman

Talent, energy and enthusiasm strut across the Broward Stage Door production of Saturday Night Live – The Musical. Unfortunately, this company does not have enough of those virtues to resc…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 09:06AM
Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Updated Regularly — Shows Cancelled Or Postponed By Irma by Bill Hirschman

With Hurricane Irma closing in, those in charge of theater performances and venues are considering whether to cancel or postpone productions and events. We will post this information on an o…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 08:18PM
Monday, September 4, 2017

Charles Busch Comes To Palm Beach Without The Dress by Bill Hirschman

If you’re coming to see Charles Busch camping it up in high drag at Palm Beach Dramaworks’ inaugural event in its OutStage @pbd series on Sept. 16, you’ll be disappointed. But if you�…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 12:33AM
Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Riverside Theatre Building Its Own Housing For Visiting Artists by Bill Hirschman

The Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach has come up with a solution—build its own housing for professionals which has become a major expense for many theaters.

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 10:06PM
Thursday, August 24, 2017

Growing Old Ain’t All Sunshine For The Boys At Stage Door by Bill Hirschman

Seniors and caretaking Boomers recognize the real pain informing the facile catchphrase “Growing old is not for sissies” – a quality sharing the stage with copious laughs in Broward St…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 09:12AM
Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Taking The Show On The Road: San Francisco Is A Theater Town by Bill Hirschman

The Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, Alcatraz, all beckon visitors. Yet in the popular consciousness, theater in San Francisco does not strike many as a stand-alone reason to book a week ther…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 09:36PM
Monday, August 21, 2017

Shorts Gone Wild 5 Is Usual Mixed Bag — But With A Twist by Bill Hirschman

Shorts Gone Wild 5, co-produced by City Theatre with Island City Stage, follows the same entertaining pattern eliciting guffaws, chuckles and a few choked back sniffles with risque and luigh…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 10:36AM
Thursday, August 17, 2017

Curtain Up On The 2017-2018 South Florida Theater Season by Bill Hirschman

If you know where to look, certainly you can find reliable warhorse titles in the upcoming theater season in South Florida, but it’s easier to find vibrant, contemporary and challenging of…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 08:36AM
Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Music In The Air: A Few Sweet Notes From Radosh, Fantel, Keelor — And Even Ben Hecht by Bill Hirschman

Local stages have some special programs running for only one or two days starting tonight including Palm Beach Dramaworks, GableStage and Arts Garage.

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 12:06PM
Sunday, August 13, 2017

Regional Theaters Are The Country’s Primary Incubator of New Plays – Including SoFla by Bill Hirschman

Indisputably, regional theaters have been a significant wellspring for new plays reaching back 30 years. But a quickening sea change has occurred quietly but demonstrably over the past decad…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 01:24PM
Friday, August 11, 2017

Sam Shepard’s True West Explodes At New City Players by Bill Hirschman

An explosion of passionate performances (and flying silverware) mark New City Players' production of the late Sam Shepard's True West.

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 12:18PM
Saturday, August 5, 2017

No Frills, No Problem: Masterly McPherson Monologue Gets the Ground Up & Rising Treatment by Bill Hirschman

Gregg Weiner captures the audience in Ground Up and Rising's bare bones production of Conor McPherson's monologue The Good Thief at South Miami- Dade Cultural Arts Center

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 03:54PM
Monday, July 31, 2017

GableStage’s Informed Consent: Is The Search For Truth Paramount? And Whose Truth? by Bill Hirschman

Is knowledge always good? Is its pursuit inherently defensible regardless of the consequences? Is there Absolute Truth?These and another half-dozen ideas careen and crisscross GableStage lik…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 10:06AM
Sunday, July 30, 2017

Marquee’s Millie Is Blessed With Those Classic Broadway Voices by Bill Hirschman

Marquee Theater Company is still an evolving troupe. but it's a shame that this production of Thoroughly Modern Millie isn’t Carbonell Award eligible – many elements would have given oth…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 11:06AM
Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Main Street Players’ Vicious Voluble Family In Bad Jews Is Equally Funny And Unnerving by Bill Hirschman

One of the joys of seeing local theater over the years is charting a new theater’s growth and promise. But it’s rare to see a fledgling theater develop so quickly as Main Street Players,…

SOURCE: Florida Theater On Stage at 11:33AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic