Kravis on Broadway kicks off with Blue Man Group
by Jan Davisson
The long-awaited opening of the Kravis on Broadway Series at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach kicks off with the much acclaimed Blue Man Group.
Blue Man Group is best known for theatrical shows and concerts that combine comedy, music and technology into a wordless narrative that’s tough to describe, but the Blue Man Group performance works for people of all ages, languages and cultures. This is probably the reason that it is now performed in 15 countries throughout the world. Even if you’ve seen a performance in the past, the Blue Man Group show is constantly being refreshed with new music, instruments and technology. When an audience member was asked to describe the Blue Man show, he replied: “It cannot be explained; it can only be experienced.” Sort of sounds like one of my all time favorite shows at the Kravis, River Dance, you had to see it to believe it.
You’ll have that opportunity to experience Blue Man Group for yourself from December 8 through December 15 at the 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.
ANOTHER OP’NIN’, ANOTHER SHOW is the theme for the 2015/16 season at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre. The holiday offering is the Broadway blockbuster, Billy Elliott The Musical from December 1-20. The story line, set in the mid-eighties, is about Billy, the youngster son of a blue-collar family living in the coal mining district of northeast England. The young boy discovers a love and extraordinary gift for ballet. Set during the UK miners’ strike of 1984, Billy’s only escape may be the prestigious Royal Ballet School, a place no working-class boy has ever gone. The musical of the decade, this winner of 10 Tony Awards, features unforgettable music by Elton John.
What a lovely holiday gift for the entire family. Billy Elliott The Musical; December 1-20; Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1001 E. Indiantown Rd. Jupiter; Tickets: (561) 575-2223; www.jupitertheatre.org.
Palm Beach Dramaworks presents The History Boys by Alan Bennett.
Colin McPhillamy as Hector plays an unconventional teacher in the Palm Beach Dramaworks production of The History Boys.
Actor Rob Donohoe is a familiar face in Palm Beach Dramaworks productions. He’ll be appearing in the History Boys opening December 4 and running thru January 3 at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre in West Palm Beach.
The History Boys, winner of the 2005 Olivier Award for Best New Play and the 2006 Tony Award for Best Play, is set at a boys’ school in Northern England in the 1980s, where two schoolmasters have very different views of what their responsibility is to their students. Hector (Colin McPhillamy) is an unconventional teacher whose mission is to open their minds. As the Headmaster (Rob Donohoe) puts it, he is “not curriculum-directed at all.” But there’s a newcomer who is a young, cynical teacher named Irwin (Cliff Burgess) who trains the students to prepare to face the examiners at Cambridge and Oxford.
The four featured actors, which also includes (Angie Radosh) as Mrs. Lintott, another teacher, are all familiar to Palm Beach Dramaworks (PBD) audiences. Their students, all new to PBD, are played by Jelani Alladin, Colin Asercion, Kristian Bikic, Kyle Branzel, Mike Magliocca, Matthew Minor, John Evans Reese and Nathan Stark. Scenic design is by Victor Becker, costume design is by Erin Amico, lighting design is by Paul Black and sound design is by Tyler Kieffer.
J. Barry Lewis is directing The History Boys, opening December 4 and running through January 3 at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre in West Palm Beach.
The History Boys is being directed by Palm Beach Dramaworks Resident Director, J. Barry Lewis, considered one of South Florida’s top directors. Lewis also directs at other theaters including the Maltz Jupiter Theatre and the Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach. Lewis has received three Carbonell Award for Best Director along with the Curtain-Up Award and the Theatre League of South Florida’s 2005 Remy Award for Leadership and Service to the Arts in South Florida.
The History Boys runs from December 4-January 3, 2016 at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre, 201 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; Tickets: (561) 514-4042 Ext: 2; palmbeachdramaworks.org; Online ticketing is available 24-7. Select a show from the mainstage season, then click Buy Tickets.
While you’re buying tickets, you might want to include this fantastic event set for December 8 at 2 and 7 pm. It’s part of the Dramalogue Talking Theatre Series and provides a peek behind the curtain, Paul Gemignani: Theatre’s Master Maestro Gemignani is the winner of the 2001 Lifetime Achievement Tony Award and recognized as the preeminent musical director on Broadway. Although best known for his work with Stephen Sondheim, he has been musical director for shows by most of Broadway’s great composers, including Cy Coleman, George Gershwin and Cole Porter. Go inside the music with him as he discusses how he helps shape a show and bring a score to life.
Dolly still reigns supreme at The Wick Theatre in Boca Raton.
The Wick Theatre is currently presenting Lee Roy Reams as Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! The Jerry Herman musical about the irrepressible Yonkers matchmaker will run through December 5. An all-star cast including multiple Tony nominee Lewis J. Stadlen, James Clow and Susan Powell. If you go, treat yourself to a tour of the fantastic Costume Museum and lunch or dinner in the Wick Tavern, patterned after Tavern on the Green.
For all of you suffering from Dancing With the Stars withdrawal, The Wick’s Holiday Show is Ballroom With A Twist-Mas and opens December 10. Tickets: (561) 995-2333. www.thewick.org
Location and ticket information:
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; Kravis on Broadway Series: Blue Man Group (Dec. 8-13) 42nd Street (Jan. 5-9, 2016).
Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 2001 E. Indiantown Rd, Jupiter; Tickets: (561) 575-2223; www.jupitertheatre.org; Billy Elliot (Dec.1-20).
Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis Street West Palm Beach, FL 33401; Tickets: (561) 514-4042 Ext. 2; www.palmbeachdramaworks.org; The History Boys (Dec. 4-Jan. 3, 2016).
The Wick Theatre 7901 North Federal Highway, Boca Raton, FL 33487; Tickets: (561) 995-2333. www.thewick.org; Hello Dolly (Nov. 6-Dec. 4).