by Jan Davisson
Get out your December calendar and get ready for a month of outstanding musical entertainment throughout the county starting with The Wick Theatre and Costume Museum in Boca Raton. It’s Sister Act. Remember Whoopie Goldberg as the Vegas showgirl who witnesses a mobster crime? The cops hid her in a place no one would ever think about searching…a Catholic convent. The high jinks begin as soon as Deloris Van Cartier (Patrece Bloomfield) arrives at her new hideout and is greeted by a very suspicious Mother Superior (Danette Cuming). It’s a fun show with laughs a minute and great music. Sister Act runs through December 23.
Now through December 23, The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum in Boca Raton provides a lot of laughs for the holidays with Sister Act starring Patrece Bloomfield as Deloris Van Cartier, a Las Vegas showgirl hiding from mobsters. Also appearing as Sister Mary Patrick is Margo Moreland.
Also appearing as one of the nuns is South Florida favorite Margo Moreland as Sister Mary Patrick. A four-time Carbonell winner, Margot is a master of comedy with a big voice. She also delivers her songs with a wallop!
For New Year’s Ever, the Wick presents a nostalgic trip back in time to the Motown era. Relive the fantastic sounds of Motown Royalty such as The Temptations and The Supremes. New Year’s Eve shows include a mini New Year’s Eve celebration at 5:30 pm that includes a champagne reception. The full-blown celebration starts at 8 pm with a three-course dinner special entertainment and is followed by show and all the bells and whistles to enter 2017. A repeat performance of A Tribute to the Music of Motown is the Hangover show at 3 pm on January 1, 2017.
Then get out your new 2017 calendar and mark January 12-February 19 for the opportunity to see a modern-day Romeo and Juliette. It’s West Side Story.
The Wick Theatre, 7901 N. Federal Hwy., Boca Raton. Box Office (561) 995-2333 or www.thewick.org.
Traveling up the road to The Theatre at the Arts Garage in Delray Beach now featuring Cuddles through December 11. Cuddles is the story of a teenage girl who has a dark secret in this modern-day gothic thriller. It features Vera Samuels and Emily Freeman. Sounds like a great one to introduce teenagers and young adults to live theater.
Arts Garage. 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33444 Box office: 561-450-6357
The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is celebrating its Silver Anniversary and what a lineup of special events, especially in December. Starting with the exquisite musical, An American in Paris as part of the Kravis on Broadway series. It opens on December 6-11. Another trip down memory lane when Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron starred in An American in Paris with beautiful music by George Gershwin and fantastic choreography by Gene Kelly.
Special holiday shows include a Holiday Stomp with The Hot Sardines; the Miami Ballet presents The Nutcracker; and a special New Years Eve presentation of one of the top tap dancing musical comedies ever written. It’s 42nd Street on Dec. 31 in Dreyfoos Hall. Get ready to enter 2017 with Kravis on Broadway’s January musical. Dirty Dancing runs from January 3-8, 2017. Tickets go fast, so call the box office soon
Five performances of The Nutcracker presented by the Miami Ballet at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. Performance dates are December 28-30.
The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts completes the 2016 calendar with the delightful Broadway musical, 42nd Street to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach, Fl. 33401 Tickets: (561) 832-7469 or 800-572-8471; www.kravis.org.
The Don and Ann Brown Theatre on Clematis Street, West Palm opens its December production of Tru written by Jay Presson Allen. Truman Compote is portrayed by Rob Donohoe and runs from December 2 through January 1.
There’s so much going on at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre on Clematis Street that it’s hard to keep up with the schedule. Opening December 2-January 1 is Tru written by Jay Presson Allen. Truman Compote (Rob Donohoe) delivers the cutting edge humor of this writer who is abandoned by his high society friends when they discover too much information about themselves in his unfinished novel, Answered Prayers. Directed by Lynnette Barkley.
For serious theater goers who love peeking behind the scenes, The Palm Beach Dramaworks has several open conversation theatre sessions as the fourth season of Dramalogue-Talking Theatre starts on December 6 with a presentation by Mark Perlberg on the life and times of Truman Capote. This provides an in-depth look into the author and his work. The second Dramalogue is set for January 3, 2017 with a conversation with designer/director Tony Walton. The Dramalogue-Talking Theatre is a six-part series and include scene readings and video clips. Individual tickets are $25 or the complete series for $108. This makes a great holiday gift for any theater lover.
Palm Beach Dramaworks – 201 Clematis Street West Palm Beach FL 33401 Tickets: 561-514-4042 Ext. 2; www.palmbeachdramaworks.org.
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s gift to the community is Me and My Girl Opening November 29-December 18 . Me and My Girl stars Matt Loehr and Julie Kleiner. It’s directed by James Brennan with choreography by Dan Knechtges.
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre has pulled out all the stops to end 2016. Opening November 29-December 18 with Me and My Girl starring Matt Loehr. You’ll recognize this triple threat Broadway star from past performances at the Jupiter Theatre including The Will Rogers Follies; Music Man; Crazy for You and Hello Dolly for which he’s won numerous Carbonell Awards.. Also appearing is another Carbonell winner Julie Kleiner. It’s directed by James Brennan with choreography by Dan Knechtges.
Artistic director Andrew Kato has managed to snag Loehr from Broadway to highlight one of his shows for the past several years. Loehr starred in The Book of Mormons on Broadway. South Florida theater goers have adopted him as their own.
December calendar at the Jupiter Theatre is packed with some interesting opportunities including Company Cabaret with the cast of Me and My Girl, after the December 9 show. A chance to meet the cast as they sing some of their favorite tunes. Show starts at 10:30 p.m.
The Best of Broadway Revue is slated for December 29 at 5:00 p.m. The revue features songs and scenes from major musicals such as West Side Story and Carousel, as well as other traditional holiday songs.
New Year’s Eve wouldn’t be a Jupiter New Year’s Eve without a pithy look at what’s happening in Washington as Capitol Steps ends the year as the final show of 2016 at the Jupiter Theatre.
The rest of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre season promises to be equally as fantastic. Just wait for the start of 2017 when the Broadway hit, The Producers open in January!
Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1001 E. Indiantown Rd, Jupiter, Tickets: (561)575-2223; www.jupitertheatre.org
Love hearing about the wonderful shows in our area. Loved Me and My Girl and Sister Act. They are perfect for my holiday fun. Try was outstanding and captures his historic wit. Can’t wait for 2017!