Fran Thomas - Page 4

What did our critic think of THE WIZARD OF OZ at Broadway Palm?

Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre often presents family-friendly shows. Parents, be warned. Rock of Ages isn't one of them. The sex, drugs, and rock and roll of the 1980s are on stage for all to see.

Broadway Palm Theatre is throwing a beach party this month in conjunction with its production Jimmy Buffett's Escape to Margaritaville. All the elements are in place. The staff are attired in tropical shirts. Beach balls float overhead. And although I spotted no tourists covered in oil, margaritas flowed freely from the makeshift tiki bar in the corner of the lobby.

I'm happy to report this stage version is just as exuberant as the classic MGM movie. A stage full of folks tapping their hearts out is irresistible. Director and choreographer Amy McCleary has done it again.

Broadway Palm's seasonal production, Holly Jolly Christmas, hits all the Christmas cliches. I don't mean that as a criticism. Cliches are cliches for a reason. They are familiar, and we relate to them. And that's what holidays are all about.

Broadway Palm's production of The Sound of Music is a delight from the moment Melissa Whitworth as Maria does that iconic twirl, arms outstretched to embrace us. And really. Who among us can resist a stage full of kids? Or nuns?

If you are a Broadway fan as I am, you probably have hundreds of thousands of song lyrics stored in your brain. And if, like Victor Legarreta, you are tasked with putting together a musical revue, how do you choose the songs?

I want to offer heartfelt thanks to Broadway Palm for giving me the opportunity to relive my formative years without the angst of having to go through high school again. The current production, Beehive, embodies the 1960s through the words and melodies of the female singers and 'girl groups' of that era. And what an era it was.

Broadway Palm is blurbing A Bronx Tale as a combination of Jersey Boys and West Side Story. Huh? I wasn't quite sure what I was about to see.

It's easy to see why the plot of She Loves You has seen so many iterations. All the tropes are there: enemies to lovers, curmudgeonly boss, bumbling sidekick, upwardly mobile messenger boy, sleazy villain, girl who always picks the wrong guy, and, in this version, a lot of music in three-quarter time.

Mark Sanders took time from helping his parents celebrate their 59th anniversary to talk with me about his role of Sipos in the production of She Loves Me opening March 26 at Barbara B. Mann Hall. Sanders is performing with the Gulf Coast Symphony under the direction of Maestro Andrew Kurtz.

With relatively few local cases of COVID-19 in Southwest Florida so far, local venues and performing arts organization are taking the attitude the show must go on. They are, however, urging anyone who doesn't feel well or has concerns to stay home and offering to exchange tickets for future dates.

Going to see Broadway Palm's latest production, Grumpy Old Men, did this baby boomer's heart good. This show demonstrates that senior citizens can still fall in love and are still-gasp!-interested in sex. The seasoned performers belt out the songs and deliver the somewhat bawdy lines and gestures with impressive vigor.

If you want to get in the mood for Halloween, take a trip to the Pine Island Playhouse for its production of Poe. Founder Nichole Pichon has taken several of Poe's poems and short stories and dramatized them. Death and madness abound.

Once upon a time, a Guy and a Girl meet. So begins every romance and so begins Once. The generic names underscore the universality of the travails of love.

Broadway Palm has brought what it is calling a sci-fi musical to its stage. And I suppose that is one of many classifications that could apply to Little Shop of Horrors.