Every molecule of my hyper-educated mind, every atom of refined artistic taste yearns to dismiss the old-fashioned, cornball 1950 John Patrick comedy, The Curious Savage, now transported through that ever-churning South Florida time machine to the stage of the Caldwell Theatre. This is not new, not moving, not powerful, and…
Of all the techniques used to teach acting, Sanford Meisner developed one of the most famous, practical, and, curiously enough, the simplest. Meisner and his Neighborhood Playhouse cohorts (count David Mamet among their graduates) believed that the key to the craft was found simply in the art of listening and…
Despite the normally vapid state of TV, remote-control fast-forwarding does occasionally result in the unearthing of something worth staring at. Case in point: One night while zapping through the dreck I came across an interview, conducted by Dick Cavett, of the cerebrally luminous author/philosopher Gore Vidal. America’s internal conflicts, postulated…
First, an anecdote, since as most populations outside America know, a sense of humor can help to ease one’s pain. The story concerns nineteenth-century playwright Sir Charles Sedley, author of the comedy Bellamira. During the very first performance of the play, the roof of the theater caved in. Luckily, few…
The great posthumously celebrated poet and recluse Emily Dickinson wrote: “One need not be a chamber to be haunted/One need not be a house/The brain has corridors surpassing/Material place.” I begin with this verse partly because Emily haunts the stage brilliantly through the efforts of Academy Award-winner Kim Hunter, in…
What was Vince Rhomberg at the Public Theatre thinking when he allowed the vanity production Yetta & Sophie In Miami Beach to occupy his space under his sponsorship? Despite the fact that I was told repeatedly by the management that it was a “hit,” and despite the fact that some…
The word “thespian” is derived from the name of the first actor who made history, Thespis, who dazzled the crowds at the festival of Dionysus in 534 B.C., but stirred up controversy simultaneously. According to Plutarch, the Greeks initially questioned the morality of drama; Solon, the great lawgiver, publicly denounced…
As a zesty summer alternative, I’ll take a few weeks off here and there from slicing, dicing, and stroking to discuss more important issues in South Florida theater than Goldilocks and the Three Bears, or another revival of Neil Simon. And without a doubt, the new Theatre League of South…
In this business, the snappy little cliche “he stole the show” seems to be used ad nauseam to describe any performance that displays even a smidgen of talent. But the number of times any show-stealing actually occurs continues to dwindle as the years go by. Waning stage opportunities force many…
In an article called “Critical Condition,” published in the June 1991 edition of American Theatre, the great playwright A.R. Gurney, himself a survivor of some nasty reviews, editorialized on the role of critics and the importance of a concept called “bestowal” in considering a work of art. “An example of…
Some of the best singing, dancing and musicianship I’ve seen at the Coconut Grove Playhouse this year now occupies the main stage — and the occupants are a group of local teen-agers and the Playhouse’s young apprentices, presenting an original work called The Sun Drum. Although it deals with loads…
Having just learned from a reader’s letter that one’s perception of art is fact and not opinion, a whole new world of commentary has opened up for me. In case you don’t remember the missive sent to me by one of Pia’s musicians, it stated: “That’s how good our performances…
Want to hear an AIDS joke? A one-liner about crack addicts? Okay, how about the riots in L.A.? That’s a knee-slapper for sure. Maybe you think I’ve finally crossed the boundaries of sane Homo sapiens taste — well, not yet. I don’t believe these subjects lend themselves to wry humor,…
In my Spanish-English dictionary, the following words are translated in sequence: machacar (or machucar): to pound, to crush machete: heavy knife macho: male animal, male part, manly Sometimes, in learning a language, one can glean meaning from other words with similar root sounds. The connection seems to hold true in…
When reviewing a mixed bag of theatrical offerings such as the Seventh International Hispanic Theatre Festival, a Spanish-speaking Anglo reviewer (such as yours truly) could easily fall into the trap of generalizations. Latin theater reflects these beliefs, portrays this, says that in certain typical ways, et cetera. But such flat…
After viewing the current New Theatre production of George Bernard Shaw’s Bonaparte: Man of Destiny, I was instantly reminded of a recent dinner conversation with a colleague on this paper. He commented that regrettably, there remain few good Shavian actors. I agreed, but added that Shaw would prove a challenge…
Dear Pia, Here I sit, all breathless and giddy (as you were on-stage), almost as short and adorable, wondering how I can praise your immense theatrical gifts enough in one scant review. You bring to mind an interview, years ago, with a big-lipped British rock star who rejected my idea…
“I don’t see how that time could turn into this time,” agonizes an ex-Royal Air Force officer, remembering the days when jobs seemed to rain from the heavens over his merry ol’ nation and nice girls dared not drink in pubs. Songs of romance and loverly dreams hypnotized comely couples…
From stage left of the paint-splattered canvas set – designed to evoke faded brain cells – music begins. Themes from glaring examples of lowdown popular trash, such as snippets of the McDonald’s song about deserving a break today and the twice-incarnated Addams Family whistle, waft ominously through the air. Like…
Lately, there’s been a lot of tongue-clucking and finger-pointing at Brian C. Smith’s Off Broadway Theatre. The artistic director stands accused of pandering to a predominantly Jewish audience in the (often futile) attempt to make a profit producing live theater. And the critics who make these accusations certainly offer enough…
After watching the recent Los Angeles debacle – and numbed by the evidence of mankind’s inability to coexist peacefully and democratically – a thought struck me: While the inner cities were screaming and burning, the plutocratic residents of Beverly Hills and Bel Air were probably resting their massaged bodies on…
One of the most subtle, powerful, and potentially hazardous relationships is that which takes place between father and child. In an effort to project masculinity and strength, fathers sometimes trample hearts; as a legacy, they may leave behind mixed messages and hard memories. They don’t yield as easily as mothers,…
