Theater – Orlando Sentinel

Exuberant ‘Rocky Horror,’ but has time overtaken the ‘Time Warp’? | Review

Matthew J. Palm — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 16:55:38 +0000

Well, I remember doing the “Time Warp,” as the song goes — and wow, was it a decadent thrill back in the day. And by back in the day, I mean at a viewing of “The Rocky Horror Show” some 30 years ago.

Orlando’s Little Radical Theatre is staging the musical in a raucous, exuberant production that will hit the right buttons for “Rocky Horror” fans — and heaven knows, there are a lot of them. The production is full of energy and has the right subversive attitude. But as for the show itself, well, the times they are a-changin’.

When “The Rocky Horror Show” debuted in 1973 — two years before the film adaptation that would turn the musical into a cult favorite — it was celebrated (or derided, depending on your point of view) as a reflection of the growing sexual liberation of the times. Set up as a spoof of the sci-fi B-movies of Hollywood’s early years, the story follows Brad and Janet, a couple of “squares” who succumb to the oversexed world of a mad scientist from outer space Frank-N-Furter, who’s determined to create a perfect sexual being, the Rocky of the title.

But as the social climate changes, it feels odd now to hear the show toss around words like “transvestite” and “transsexual.” (Does anyone even say “transvestite” or “transsexual” anymore?) And in an era focused on sexual consent, scenes where Frank tricks Brad and Janet into sex are more off-putting than humorous, as originally intended.

The Little Radical production, directed by Travis Eaton, mitigates these problems somewhat by focusing on the show’s ultimate message of “Don’t dream it, be it” and shaking up the genders in casting.

Jennifer Rae Paxton, who uses she/they pronouns, is the lecherous Frank and gives the scientist a troublemaking sneer while gleefully romping through the production numbers. Rocky, the object of Frank’s affection, is a nonbinary creation, portrayed with glee by Marlo Coffin.

Brad and Janet stick to traditional gender roles, with Ryan Bassett playing up Brad’s nerdish qualities and Kristie Geng relishing Janet’s newly discovered sexual freedom. Yet even her stripping down to pasties can’t possibly feel as shocking in this sexualized age as it did decades ago.

In his staging, Eaton has smartly found a middle ground between a typical play in which the audience sits quietly and the now de rigueur interactive movie screenings, in which audience members dress up, yell out lines between the filmed actors’ words and throw things at the screen.

I walked into the theater during a preshow game as an audience volunteer was agreeing to be flogged. Goodie bags are available filled with props to be used during the show. And, yes, the audience is encouraged to rise and dance the iconic “Time Warp.”

The ensemble numbers in Little Radical Theatrics’ “Rocky Horror Show” entertain, thanks to the work of choreographer Shawn Lowe. (Mike Kitaif via Little Radical Theatrics)

But the most interesting idea is the insertion of a master of ceremonies, who sometimes leads the audience in the standard interjections — how many times do we hear “Castles don’t have phones!” — but also adds his own witty one-liners, some with on-point Florida-specific references to Gov. Ron DeSantis or Walt Disney World.

Kenny Robinson plays this role with a devilish twinkle akin to the narrators in Broadway’s “Shucked.” About 90% of his comments land solidly, with the other 10% drowned out by the other onstage action. And there is plenty of onstage action: choreographer Shawn Lowe has fun with his big ensemble.

Ensemble members even take to the aisles in the Shakespeare Center’s Mandell Theatre, but oddly face the stage instead of the audience; how much more fun it would be to see their faces while they are among us.

One final note: Musical director Nishaa Johnson’s band sounds great and adds immeasurably to the energy, with a special shoutout going to saxophonist Jesse Dean. The sweet sound of his sax? Now that’s sexy.

‘The Rocky Horror Show’

Length: 2:30, including preshow games and an intermission
Where: Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 E. Rollins St. in Orlando
When: Through Nov. 19
Cost: $30 ($25 students and seniors)
Info: littleradicaltheatricsinc.com

Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find more arts news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/arts, and go to orlandosentinel.com/theater for theater news and reviews.

An engrossing look at the book that made Shakespeare who he is today

Matthew J. Palm — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 10:00:50 +0000

Four hundred years ago, in 1623, a book of Shakespeare’s plays was published.

This wasn’t just any book: It marked the first time all of Shakespeare’s works were published together — no mean feat back in those days when many of his plays existed only in his drafts or the bits and pieces handed out to actors.

In fact, without this remarkable book, there would have been no published script for “Macbeth,” “Twelfth Night,” “Julius Caesar,” “The Tempest,” “Antony and Cleopatra” or “As You Like It,” just to name a few. Nearly half of Shakespeare’s output would have been lost.

And without his complete body of work to awe and inspire, Shakespeare likely would never have reached the cultural heights he has.

On Friday, Nov. 17, PBS’s “Great Performances” celebrates the 400th anniversary of the book in “Making Shakespeare: The First Folio.”

“The First Folio” is the name of this book of 36 plays. Well, actually, it’s not. The proper title is “Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies.” But it’s commonly called the First Folio by modern scholars; folio is a publishing term that indicates the way the book was printed, resulting in large-size pages.

Early in the program, narrated by Broadway superstar Audra McDonald, a participant describes the First Folio as “the most important secular book in the history of the Western world.”

Hyperbole? Well, the speaker is renowned Shakespeare scholar Jonathan Bate, so clearly, he has a bias toward its cultural significance. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t speaking accurately.

The First Folio is certainly the most expensive book going. In 2020, a copy auctioned by Christie’s sold for $10 million — the highest price ever paid for a work of literature at auction.

It’s estimated about 750 copies of the First Folio were printed. Today, 235 are known to still exist. PBS looks at a famously stolen copy, a recently discovered copy — in a public library in a small French town, no less — and a very royal copy.

The First Folio — the first collection of all William Shakespeare’s plays — is “the most important secular book in the history of the Western world,” says one scholar. It’s the subject of “Making Shakespeare: The First Folio” on PBS’s “Great Performances.” (Courtesy Thirteen)

In that latter segment, King Charles III examines a First Folio owned by his predecessor of some 15 generations, King Charles I, which is still in royal hands at Windsor Castle. That first Charles came to an unhappy end: His forces were defeated in the English Civil War, and he was executed in 1649 as the monarchy was abolished.

But, some comfort, we are told that even while imprisoned before his execution, Charles I was allowed to keep his copy of the First Folio. The copy contains his notes, in which he has written character names in the margins, perhaps to highlight his favorites — or maybe to keep the various comedy couples straight: “Is this the one with Beatrice and Benedick or the one with Helena and Bertram?”

There is something satisfying in learning that it was Shakespeare’s friends, two actors, who were the driving force in organizing whatever source material they could round up, collecting the plays and getting them published for posterity; after all, Shakespeare has been creating work for actors ever since.

(Side note: As a “Macbeth” fan, I also enjoyed learning that Shakespeare’s rough drafts are known as “foul papers” while the later, cleaned-up versions are called “fair copies.” “Fair is foul, and foul is fair…”)

In their effort to pay tribute to their deceased friend and preserve his legacy, John Heminges and Henry Condell also had to deal with some legalese that still exists in the modern arts world: Obtaining the rights to the works. The rights to many of Shakespeare’s plays were owned by those who had first printed them individually in various other formats, and the pair had to do some wheeling and dealing.

A portrait of English writer William Shakespeare, as seen in the “Great Performances” presentation of “Making Shakespeare: The First Folio” on PBS. (Courtesy Thirteen)

Lest you think the program has its eye solely on ancient history, it should be noted that the amusing stories of the First Folio are interspersed (sometimes smoothly, sometimes more clunkily) with the inspiring way Shakespeare impacts the world today, especially through the efforts of the Public Theater of New York City.

There’s “The Comedy of Errors” as a bilingual musical, Kenny Leon’s version of “Hamlet” for Shakespeare in the Park, a student production of “Romeo & Juliet” with children learning English as a second language. It’s all heartening to lovers of classical theater.

A favorite quote from the program comes from Oskar Eustis, artistic director of the Public, as he ponders why Shakespeare endures. When the playwright creates his tales, whether comic or tragic, Eustis says, “he sees the worth of every human being.”

How to watch

On TV: 9-11 p.m. Nov. 17, on WUCF-TV, Channel 24
Online streaming: At pbs.org/show/great-performances

A fascinatingly atmospheric look at Edgar Allan Poe — and the inner struggles of us all | Review

Matthew J. Palm — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 10:00:27 +0000

We meet Edgar Allan Poe, the father of the mystery tale and architect of the modern short story, at age 11, about to start boarding school and already precociously calling himself “remarkable.”

He’s “a despot in pre-puberty,” as delightfully described by Nick Ryan and Katie Hartman, the duo known as The Coldharts, who devised and star in the craftily entertaining trilogy of short plays onstage at Fringe ArtSpace in downtown Orlando.

Each hourlong play finds Poe, who died mysteriously at age 40 in 1849, in another stage of his formative years. Really, it’s better to think of each installment as an act of a full-length play. Each segment is unquestionably stronger when viewed as part of the whole — making this residency, the first time the Coldharts have performed all three titles back-to-back-to-back in this fashion, quite a treat.

Ryan and Hartman were inspired by Poe’s story “William Wilson,” about a man who discovers a doppelganger and develops a love-hate relationship with him. The Coldharts took the bones of that story — which is, of course, about more than first meets the eye — and mixed in historical facts about Poe’s life alongside multiple original and engaging songs. They then artfully wove it all together into a provocative and atmospheric tale.

Together, the three plays make a psychological thriller with dark humor and murderous overtones. Sound familiar? Yes, the vibe recalls a good Poe story. That feeling is cleverly echoed in the duo’s vocabulary, with beautiful and descriptive words rolling off their tongues: succumb, tyranny, gnarled, coalescence.

And you hear Poe in the cadence of their speech. As they describe a journey to a far-off dormitory room, one feels the growing tension found in a similar descent into a dank cellar in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado.”

Other allusions abound — bird references in this tale of the author of “The Raven” and the appearance of an orangutan, an animal memorably at the forefront of “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”

The discerning viewer will be left to ponder questions about the choices we all make and how we deal with our nagging consciences as well as our ambition and sense of self-worth. But it’s equally possible to simply enjoy the bravura performances.

Katie Hartman won a Critics Choice award for her performance in “Edgar Allan” at the 2016 Orlando Fringe Festival. (Courtesy Dan Norman)

Hartman’s cocky exuberance can quickly give way to pain. “Why would he want to be friends with me?” her young Edgar pathetically asks, a stark contrast to the future writer’s usual smug bravado.

Ryan, with his compelling, raspy whisper, conveys an air of repression as unsettling as Hartman’s twisted features as Edgar seethes with resentment.

The first segment, “Edgar Allan,” has a perfect balance of the building tension and darkly comic, almost whimsical details of Poe’s best writing. The second and third, “Eddie Poe” and “Edgar Perry,” respectively, still have humor in the drama, but it’s not always as deftly blended. And on opening weekend, the dialogue didn’t always flow as smoothly in the latter titles.

This is the local premiere of “Edgar Perry,” the concluding work and the newest, and it could use a punchier ending, maybe something from Poe’s playbook that leaves the audience with a gasp or a reason to sleep with a nightlight illuminating the shadows.

But the artistry trumps any minor deficiencies. The performers play trumpet, ukulele, violin, drum and more — sometimes as effective underscore, sometimes through original songs, with the best being the haunting “Why Is the Night So Dark?” and the insightful “Everything Cruel.”

Once again, ArtSpace is beautifully decked out; a hallway of floating candles is particularly effective. And Orlando Fringe has made this an event with a Poe market, specialty cocktails, a photo spot with a creepy mannequin that would be right at home in “The Masque of the Red Death,” and activities including a chance to teach yourself whist, a popular card game of Poe’s era.

“Edgar Allan” was named the best show in the 2016 Orlando Fringe Critics Choice Awards; Hartman won best female performer that year, as well. We’re lucky to have this inventively entertaining piece of theater back in its full-length form.

Poe Triptych

‘Edgar Allan’ (part 1): 2 p.m. Nov. 12, 7 p.m. Nov. 16, 9 p.m. Nov. 17, 7 p.m. Nov. 18
‘Eddie Poe’ (part 2): 4 p.m. Nov. 12, 9 p.m. Nov. 16, 2 p.m. Nov. 19
‘Edgar Perry’ (part 3): 7 p.m. Nov. 17, 9 p.m. Nov. 18, 4 p.m. Nov. 19
Special ‘Eddie Poe/Edgar Perry’ double bill: 7 p.m. Nov. 13 ($18-$22 ticket includes both shows)
Where: Fringe ArtSpace, 54 W. Church St. in Orlando
Cost: $13-$18 per show; discount available for buying two shows
Info: OrlandoFringe.org/artspace

Maitland Rotary Art Festival returns with ‘art under the stars’

Patrick Connolly — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 10:00:21 +0000

An annual Central Florida arts tradition returns to Lake Lily Park this weekend with “art under the stars.”

The 47th annual Maitland Rotary Art Festival features more than 130 artists from as far away as Arizona and New York showing all kinds of art during the show Nov. 10-12.

“We have a huge variety of art. We have everything from fiber and leather to fine crafts, sculpture, glass, mixed media and painting. It’s a lot of very talented artists,” said Kimberly Carroll, the art festival chairperson.

The after-dark hours are part of what sets this festival apart, as patrons can browse and buy until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

“People enjoy having the nighttime hours and our festival is very family-oriented,” Carroll said. “The setting is absolutely beautiful for the festival.”

Edward Sanderson is a Central Florida painter who will be showing his latest work at the Maitland Rotary Art Festival. (Courtesy Edward Sanderson)

For participating artists, $14,000 in prize money is up for grabs with $5,000 going to the Best in Show winner.

Aside from the art, visitors can enjoy live music, sip and taste the offerings from food and beverage vendors and explore a kid’s zone open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday.

Last year, the Maitland Rotary Club gave away an estimated $60,000 to Central Florida charities and organizations including Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, the Central Florida YMCA, Lighthouse Central Florida, Meals on Wheels, United Against Poverty and Infinite Zion Farms.

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“This is our big fundraiser every year,” Carroll said. “I think the Rotarians play a huge part in making it outstanding.”

If you go

The 47th annual Maitland Rotary Art Festival is open 5-9 p.m. Nov. 10, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Nov. 11 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 12 at 701 Lake Lily Drive in Maitland. The festival is free and open to the public. For more information, visit maitlandartfest.org.

Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com.

Central Florida theater and dance listings: Nov. 10-16

Compiled by Sentinel Staff — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 09:05:08 +0000

THEATER

“Eddie Poe”: 9 p.m., Nov. 10, Nov. 16; 4 p.m., Nov. 12; Fringe ArtSpace, 54 W. Church St., Suite 201 in Orlando; $15-$18; orlandofringe.org

“Edgar Allan”: 7 p.m., Nov. 10, Nov. 16; 9 p.m., Nov. 11; 2 p.m., Nov. 12; Fringe ArtSpace, 54 W. Church St., Suite 201 in Orlando; $15-$18; orlandofringe.org

“Gothic Tavern: The Spirits of Sleepy Hollow”: 8 p.m., Nov. 10-11, 16; 4 p.m., Nov. 12; Orlando Repertory Theatre, 1001 E. Princeton St. in Orlando; $20-$40; newgentheatrical.org

“Love, Laughter, and Lunacy … Life in a Senior Community”: 7 p.m., Nov. 10, Nov. 13; 3 p.m., Nov. 11-12; Breakthrough Theatre Company, 6900 Aloma Ave. in Winter Park; $12-$15; 407-920-4034; breakthroughtheatre.com

Native Voices: See eight short plays written by Orlando playwrights. 8 p.m., Nov. 10-11; 3 p.m., Nov. 12; Orlando Shakespeare Theater, 812 E. Rollins St. in Orlando; $12-$20; 407-761-2683; theprt.com

“The Rocky Horror Show Live”: 8 p.m., Nov. 10-11; 3 p.m., Nov. 12; The Mandell Studio Theater at The Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 E. Rollins St. in Orlando; $25-$30; brownpapertickets.com

“The True Story of the Three Little Pigs!”: Noon, Nov. 10; 2:30 p.m., Nov. 11; Orlando Shakes, 812 E. Rollins St. in Orlando; $14-$30; 407-447-1700; orlandoshakes.org

“Kiss of the Spider Woman”: 2 p.m.; Nov. 12; The Abbey, 100 S. Eola Drive in Orlando; bungalower.com

DANCE

Tilly Electronics (Germany), Limo Scene, KT Kink – Panic Underground: Dance to three synth-pop acts and two DJs. 9 p.m.; Nov. 11; Iron Cow, 2438A E. Robinson St. in Orlando; bungalower.com

Veterans Day Dinner Dance and USO-Style Show: 6 p.m.; Nov. 11; Orlando Elk Lodge 1079, 12 N. Primrose Drive in Orlando; $25; 407-894-1079; orlandoelks.com

“The Nutcracker” Presented by the Central Florida Ballet: 2 p.m.; Nov. 12; Orlando Public Library, Library Central, 101 E. Central Blvd. in Orlando; free; 407-835-7323; attend.ocls.info

Salsa Con Caché: Dance to the salsa rhythms of Orchestra Fuego, a band performing original and familiar Latin songs with new arrangements. 8:30 p.m.; Nov. 10; Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave. in Orlando; drphillipscenter.org

Contra Dance: The series features high-energy dancing to traditional, pop and rock music. 7 p.m.; Nov. 10; Winter Park Ballroom Dance Co., 6904 Aloma Ave. in Winter Park

Orlando Shakes announces new managing director

Patrick Connolly — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 13:24:37 +0000

As Orlando Shakes continues its 35th anniversary season, the Central Florida nonprofit theater has appointed Larry Mabrey as its new managing director.

After serving as the managing director of Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Mabrey is moving from sunny California to the Sunshine State to oversee the organization’s business and theatrical offerings. He will take over for interim executive director Elizabeth “Betsy” Gwinn, who has led Orlando Shakes since previous managing director Douglas Love-Ramos left for a new California-based job in July.

Mabrey will begin in his role as managing director on Nov. 27.

“Orlando Shakes’ reputation for high-quality professional productions is well known, and I am energized about the opportunities that await us,” Mabrey said in a news release. “I look forward to partnering with Jim Helsinger, the staff, board, and community to bring the magic of theater to Central Florida and expand Orlando Shakes’ sphere of influence.”

The exterior of the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center, home to the Orlando Shakes theater company and the Orlando Fringe, at the Loch Haven Cultural Park on Feb. 24, 2020. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)

With 18 years of experience, Mabrey previously served as the executive director of Circus Flora theater in St. Louis, executive director of West Virginia Public Theatre, producing artistic director for the Avalon Theatre Company of St. Louis and director of the Center for Professional Development at Webster University.

Linda Landman Gonzalez, a Shakes board member, led the search committee for the new managing director, which resulted in 100 candidates from across the nation being contacted during the search process.

“Mabrey emerged as the strongest and most experienced applicant at the close of the search with the skills and enthusiasm to lead Shakes into its 36th season and beyond,” she said in a news release.

The upcoming program at the Shakes includes “A Christmas Carol,” “6 String Christmas,” starring Chase Padgett and “Henry VI, Part 1: Joan of Arc,” kicking off the new year in January 2024.

Jim Helsinger, Orlando Shakes’ artistic director, said he is eager to work with Mabrey as he enters his new role.

“I have known Larry for years through the Shakespeare Theatre Association and have admired his skill and talent,” Helsinger said in a news release. “Larry joins us with experience leading a respected Shakespeare theater and I look forward to working together to build the future of Orlando Shakes.”

Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com.

Central Florida theater and dance listings: Nov. 3-9

Compiled by Sentinel Staff — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 08:05:42 +0000

THEATER

“The True Story of the Three Little Pigs!”: Noon Nov. 3; 2:30 p.m. Nov. 4-5; 10:15 a.m., noon Nov. 7; 10:30 a.m. Nov. 8; Orlando Shakes, 812 E. Rollins St. in Orlando; $14-$30; 407-447-1700; orlandoshakes.org

“A Voice in the Dark: A Salem Story”: 8 p.m. Nov. 3-4, Nov. 6; 3 p.m. Nov. 5; Breakthrough Theatre Company, 6900 Aloma Ave. in Winter Park; $12-$20; 407-920-4034; breakthroughtheatre.com

“Metamorphoses”: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3-4, Nov. 8-9; 4 p.m. Nov. 5; Sally K. Albrecht Studio Theatre, 1000 Holt Ave. in Winter Park; 407-646-2145; rollins.edu

“Metamorphoses”: 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 9; Theatre UCF Black Box, 4000 Central Florida Blvd. in Orlando; 407-823-1500; arts.cah.ucf.edu

“Broadway at the Beach: A Musical Revue”: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 4; 2 p.m. Nov. 5; Little Theatre, 726 E. Third Ave. in New Smyrna Beach; 386-423-1246; nsbplayers.org

DANCE

K-Pop Dance Party: This event is for those 18 and older. 8:30 p.m.; Nov. 3; Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave. in Orlando; 407-358-6603; drphillipscenter.org

Contra Dance: The series feature high-energy dancing to traditional, pop and rock music. 7 p.m.; Nov. 3; Winter Park Ballroom Dance Co., 6904 Aloma Ave. in Winter Park

Audition Workshop: Get ready for ballet audition season. 9 a.m.; Nov. 5; Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre, 600 N. Lake Formosa Drive in Orlando; orlandoballet.org

In November, Central Florida dives into ‘Metamorphoses’ — twice

Matthew J. Palm — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 09:00:03 +0000

Talk about a comeback. Ovid, that ancient Roman wordsmith, wrote his “Metamorphoses” more than two millennia ago. Now, this month, there are two productions of the play based on that famous work running simultaneously on Central Florida college campuses.

You can catch Mary Zimmerman’s stage adaptation of “Metamorphoses” first at Rollins College, Nov. 3-18. Coincidentally, a separate production at Theatre UCF runs Nov. 9-19.

“Metamorphoses” is a collection of stories — the old, old myths that tell us about human nature — with an overarching theme of change. Specifically, the play reminds us that change is inevitable by retelling the classical stories of King Midas, Orpheus, Aphrodite and other mythical characters.

Their fictional experiences illustrate the real-life joys and sorrows of the human experience.

The centerpiece of every production of “Metamorphoses” is something quite out of the ordinary: A giant pool of water.

Rollins College unveils $8 million Tiedtke Theatre & Dance Centre

Rollins College will use its production of “Metamorphoses” to christen its new Sally K. Albrecht Studio Theatre inside the Tiedtke Theatre & Dance Centre, which opened in February.

“We’ve been dreaming about this space for over 20 years,” says Thomas Ouellette, director of theatre at the Winter Park college. “We needed a special title for the inaugural production in Rollins’ first custom-built black-box theater. Mary Zimmerman’s ‘Metamorphoses’ is unlike anything we’ve ever produced on campus.”

A promotional photograph in an already-established pool features Ani Henry-Walker, a Rollins student who plays the Greek god Aphrodite.

Rollins College technical theater specialist Mary Raker works on the pool that will form the centerpiece of the college’s production of “Metamorphoses,” the first show in the new Tiedtke Theatre & Dance Centre’s Sally K. Albrecht Studio Theatre. (Courtesy Rollins College)

“The new space feels like a safe haven,” she says in a statement released by Rollins. “It’s very special to be a part of the first show in this building that will hold our theater family for years to come.”

Meanwhile, the theater department is hard at work constructing a pool from plywood with a liner while determining the logistics of keeping it full and warm enough for the actors.

Similar conversations are taking place at the University of Central Florida, which also has constructed its pool of plywood with a heavy-duty pond liner.

Rollins College technical theater specialist Mary Raker works on the pool that will form the centerpiece of the college’s production of “Metamorphoses,” the first show in the new Tiedkte Theatre & Dance Centre. (Courtesy Rollins College)

The pool has varying depths of water, down to 12 inches, says Theatre UCF spokeswoman McKenzie Lakey.

“It’s made to resemble a stone reflecting pool surrounded by a stone deck, alluding to the land and the sea,” she says. “We are also using large sails representing the sky, playing into the nautical and transformational themes of the show.”

At Theatre UCF, “Metamorphoses” is directed by artistic director Julia Listengarten, with movement direction by Christopher Niess. Tickets are $25, $10 with valid UCF ID. The production will be in the smaller, black-box theater on the university’s east Orange County Campus, inside Building 6 at 12700 Pegasus Drive. Patrons should park in lot D1.

Go to arts.cah.ucf.edu/event/metamorphoses for more information.

Theatre UCF students rehearse for “Metamorphoses,” based on Ovid’s ancient writings. (Courtesy McKenzie Lakey via Theatre UCF)

The Rollins production will be directed by alumnus Nick Bazo and Ouellette, with choreography by Robin Gerchman. It is produced in partnership with the William Daniel Mills Theatre Company Apprentice Program, in which local high-school students from diverse backgrounds considering theater careers work on- and backstage.

Tickets cost $20, with discounts for students, seniors, groups, and Rollins alumni. The Tiedtke Theatre & Dance Centre sits behind the college’s Annie Russell Theatre on its Winter Park campus at 1000 Holt Ave. For more information, go to rollins.edu/annie.

‘A dream come true’: Florida actors make Broadway debuts

Matthew J. Palm — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 09:00:09 +0000

Maria Bilbao “always knew” a career in entertainment was in the cards. Miguel Gil caught the acting bug after working on theater’s technical side. Jasmine Forsberg was lighting up Central Florida stages as a child.

All three share something beyond calling the Sunshine State home: They all made their Broadway debuts this past season. And they are in three of the most talked-about shows in New York.

Bilbao plays sweetly determined Johanna in the revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical “Sweeney Todd,” fronted by Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford. Gil covers three different roles in “Kimberly Akimbo,” which won the best musical Tony Award in June. And Forsberg has a featured part in the unusually staged “Here Lies Love” — and will move to a different Broadway show, the hit “Six” about English King Henry VIII’s wives, at the end of the year.

“It’s still really surreal for me,” said Bilbao, born and raised in the Miami suburb of Kendall. “I have a lot of pinch-myself moments.”

That sentiment is shared by her fellow Floridians, who all credit their family, friends and communities here in getting them where they are today.

“It feels in every way like a dream come true,” Forsberg said.

Jasmine Forsberg grew up in Central Florida and now is starring on Broadway in “Here Lies Love.” (Sentinel archive photo)

In Bilbao’s case, her mother and grandmother found the Miami Childrens Theater for her when it became clear where her interests lay.

“I was always really expressive, and I always loved music; I was that kid who was singing everywhere,” she said. Her first role was a frog in “Honk Jr.,” she recalled with a laugh.

“I’m so grateful for the foundation Orlando gave me,” Forsberg said when pondering if being on Broadway adds pressure to performing.

“Yes, it’s Broadway with a capital B,” she said, “but what I find is the training and love for the theater I was able to cultivate in Orlando inform my experience here.”

Floridian visits

A highlight of Gil’s tenure with “Kimberly Akimbo” has been visits by former teachers, including drama instructor Jonathan Jackson of Gil’s alma mater, Windermere High and Linda Boot, now choral director of Horizon High.

“She said I was her first student to book a Broadway show,” Gil said. “She was thrilled.”

He still jokes with Jackson about a mishap early in his scholastic theater career when a train he was supposed to push on stage got its wheels stuck and came apart in front of the audience.

Miguel Gil, who grew up in Central Florida, attends the opening night of “Kimberly Akimbo” at Broadway’s Booth Theatre on Nov. 10, 2022. Gil is an understudy covering three roles in the show. (Courtesy Chad Krause via Polk and Co.)

“Mr. Jackson still makes fun of me for that,” he said.

And while his family is proud, he has a teenage sister to help keep his feet on the ground.

“She’s still my sister,” he said with a laugh. “She needs to keep me humble.”

Gil, who was born in Venezuela and came to Orlando with his family when he was 3, first thought sports might be his calling.

“I tried out for the basketball team, which was kind of a joke,” he recalled. “I didn’t make it.”

He later served as a technician on “White Christmas,” the first show staged in the newly opened school.

“Mr. Jackson recruited me right away,” he said. “I liked the people I was hanging out with, and then after that, it turned into ‘This is really fun.'”

His first starring role was as the Kevin Bacon character in the stage adaptation of “Footloose,” and in 2021, he was a nominee in the national Jimmy Awards program, a celebration of student theater excellence run locally by the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. That led to auditions for “Kimberly Akimbo” before its off-Broadway run.

Feeling pressure

He just missed out on being cast, but when the show transferred to Broadway, the creative team remembered him and came calling. Gil was studying musical theater at Shenandoah University in Virginia but took a break from school for the chance to work in New York — a daunting proposition.

“Literally, the first day of going in and saying my name was scary,” he said.

Daniel Yearwood and Maria Bilbao play young sweethearts Anthony and Johanna in the current Broadway production of “Sweeney Todd.” (Courtesy Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)

Bilbao — who says she mediates a lot to fight “imposter syndrome” — has felt the pressure, too.

“I think it hit me we were on Broadway in our first preview and seeing an audience that size,” she said. “The pressure can get very real when you start thinking, ‘I’m on Broadway, and I have to make all these people proud.'”

She said co-star Ruthie Ann Miles, a Tony winner, was particularly helpful in reminding her: “I am enough; I deserve to be here.”

Bilbao and Forsberg both sought out their roles.

“I saw the promo when Annaleigh and Josh were revealed as stars of the new revival, and I reached out to my agent,” Bilbao said. Her agent wasn’t optimistic, thinking the production would go with established stars, “and then suddenly out of nowhere in November…”

Her family was understanding when she rearranged Thanksgiving plans to audition in New York. It was worth being a little late for the turkey when she got the role.

Forsberg, a Filipino American, was intrigued by “Here Lies Love,” which features a cast of actors all with Filipino heritage and tells the story of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos’s rise to power in the Asian nation: “I messaged my agent and said, ‘How can we look into this?'”

Jasmine Forsberg played Queen Jane Seymour in a touring production of “Six” and will return to the role on Broadway. (Courtesy Joan Marcus)

After a stint in the touring musical “Six,” which played Orlando in the fall of 2022, she was Broadway-bound with “Here Lies Love.”

The show has drawn attention not only for its subject matter but also for its presentation as a dance-disco musical. The theater is set up like a nightclub, and patrons move around the dance floor to follow the action taking place on moving platforms (some traditional seats are also available).

“It’s invigorating,” Forsberg said. “Hopefully, it can change the landscape of what Broadway theater can be.”

She’s a dynamic presence in the show, unleashing a power-packed pop voice in her solos as a kind of conscience or internal devil’s advocate for Imelda, who with her husband lived lavishly and amassed a huge personal fortune while leading the Philippines; the couple was deposed in 1986, and she’s still entangled in criminal charges.

“I like to think of my character as a way for the audience to see what is going on in Imelda’s head,” said Forsberg, a Timber Creek High graduate who worked at Winter Park Playhouse and Orlando Family Stage as a child in Central Florida. “Humans are complex.”

Cultural connections

Forsberg is particularly proud to be part of a “history-making” show with its all-Filipino cast.

“I feel so fulfilled, not only artistically, but also tying it back to culture,” she said.

Bilbao is grateful for the diversity in her show.

“As a Latina, I feel like I’ve broken a glass ceiling for myself,” she said — pointing to the Latina girls who tell her at the stage door how she inspires them.

“That means a lot to me,” she said. “We’re all humans in this show, and children of color can see themselves in it.”

Orlando’s Jasmine Forsberg rules the stage in hit musical ‘Six’

All three Floridians say they have learned much from their experiences in the Big Apple.

Bilbao stressed the collaborative nature of working on “Sweeney Todd” and the attention to detail she and her original scene partner, Jordan Fisher, put into the complicated song “Kiss Me.”

“We had an intense session, just the two of us,” she said. “We talked about young love and how that feels.”

Their work paid off in one of the production’s most thrilling scenes in which Bilbao’s clear soprano, first heard on a sparkling rendition of “Green Finch and Linnet Bird,” creates emotional energy to complement the physicality on display.

“Every kiss means something,” she said. “Every touch is intentional.”

On his toes

As an understudy, Gil has to keep track of three roles in “Kimberly Akimbo,” a musical about the titular teen girl who looks like a senior citizen because of a rare medical condition. He has performed about 50 times so far, he said.

In the role of Seth, the boy who proves a loyal friend to the title character, Gil displays a charming combination of friendliness and awkwardness with natural comic timing.

“It keeps me on my toes, and I always have to be reviewing and ready,” he said of understudy life. “It has been a lot of learning on the go and getting advice from people in the company. They’ve really helped me out.”

Miguel Gil interrupted his musical theater studies at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, when he was offered a position in the company of Broadway’s “Kimberly Akimbo.” (Courtesy Polk and Co.)

He especially appreciates the collaborative nature of star Victoria Clark, who won a Tony for her portrayal of Kimberly.

“After every show when I’ve been on, she’ll stop me and ask, ‘Do you have any [feedback] for me? Let’s talk about the show and how we felt about it.'”

Gil is contracted to “Kimberly Akimbo” through April; Bilbao says she’ll stay with “Sweeney Todd” — which just announced an extension into the spring of 2024 — “as long as they want me.”

Forsberg is leaving “Here Lies Love” later this year to rejoin “Six,” this time on Broadway. She missed her final performances on the “Six” tour because she was ill but had a feeling “my time wasn’t done with that show,” she said. “I think the universe was looking out for me.”

And she’s planning her first solo headlining show at New York nightspot 54 Below. Her Nov. 19 performance, titled “Music That Made Me,” will feature songs and stories that have shaped her life.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” she said. “There’s going to be Orlando memories in there.”

‘Nosferatu’ is one big delicious bite of theatrical artistry | Review

Matthew J. Palm — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 09:00:53 +0000

The latest incarnation of the Renaissance Theatre Company‘s “Nosferatu” is a big deal. First of all, there’s the number of performers: 30 are pictured in the playbill. Add to that the musicians in the band and the entertainment in the accompanying bar experience, and you have what must be one of the biggest casts around.

Then there’s the space itself. The Ren’s converted warehouse near Orlando’s Loch Haven Park is large — but it has never seemed this large. Wandering through the hallways and astonishingly decorated rooms, I realized multiple times I had no idea where I actually was in the building.

“Nosferatu” is a show built for spectacle, and on that level, it succeeds. It’s a living, breathing embodiment of the theatrical arts in which, as it happens, nearly every character is undead.

Actor Adonis Perez-Escobar is a nervous mortal in “Nosferatu” at the Renaissance Theatre in Orlando. (Courtesy Andrew Tolbert via Renaissance Theatre Co.)

This is the third version of “Nosferatu” to be staged at the Ren, and it is completely different from previous iterations. There are similarities in design: the careful creation of atmosphere, the feeling of decadence, the choreography by Kathleen Wessel that provides thrills and chills, sometimes at the same time. And, of course, the sexy vamps.

Keeping with the “go big” theme, the show opens at a grand banquet table, the length of which hasn’t been seen since Belle and Beast sat down to soup. A vampire (Blake Aburn, in classic breathy voice and vaguely British accent) gives a history of the species to a quivering mortal (Adonis Perez-Escobar, appropriately terrified), including references to Vlad the Impaler, Count Dracula and others.

Later, the action moves into a ballroom, but Mrs. Potts is nowhere to be found. Instead, it turns out, this night is all about whether the vampires should make a covenant with humans to live alongside them and explore connection and love — or just savagely rule over them and use them for meals.

Tori Patrice and Pedro Vargas face off in “Nosferatu” at the Renaissance Theatre in Orlando. (Courtesy Andrew Tolbert via Renaissance Theatre Co.)

I may have glossed over some finer points because I was just too distracted by the beauty all around me — a feeling that would only increase as we patrons explored the rest of the venue before reassembling for the grand finale.

Your investment in the story line will depend on how much you care about vampire lore (me, not so much) but the plot is really just an excuse to admire the theater arts of scenic, lighting and costume design while appreciating how much emotion music brings to an experience and acknowledging the power of dance to stir deep feelings in us: Unease and awe being two of them.

Matt Lynx and Jason M. Bailey composed the original music, which builds disquietingly like a pounding heart and opens up into orgiastic abandon. (Vampires are insatiable in many ways, after all.)

Blake Aburn wonders if there’s more to humans than their blood in “Nosferatu” at the Renaissance Theatre in Orlando. (Courtesy Andrew Tolbert via Renaissance Theatre Co.)

Philip Lupo’s lighting and the set design by Lupo, Aburn, Donald Rupe and Joey Coombs combine to create a world both expansive and claustrophobic. A crypt, a conservatory, a creepy child’s bedroom (that featured an exhilarating dance in and on the top rails of a wooden crib) … all feel “real” in the best horror-story way.

And the handsome sets are dressed from the playbook of New York’s famed “Sleep No More,” with an attention to detail that keeps the eye moving.

Hooded figures create a striking scene in “Nosferatu” at the Renaissance Theatre in Orlando. (Courtesy Andrew Tolbert via Renaissance Theatre Co.)

As director, Rupe knows how to use his performers to create a mood. Hooded figures silently line the banquet table in rhythmic movement. Later, a horde of vampires, backlit and descending a towering staircase in lockstep, draws deserved applause just for the sheer theatricality of the moment.

That’s merely one striking scene in a bloody good feast of theatrical fun.

‘Nosferatu’

Length: 90 minutes, no intermission
Age note: Patrons must be 18 or older; show contains full nudity
Where: Renaissance Theatre, 415 E. Princeton St. in Orlando
When: Through Nov. 5
Cost: $50 show only, with packages including admission to the after-hours VBar and a $120 VIP experience including reserved seating, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Group discounts and a limited number of $10 released at noon the day before each performance
Info: rentheatre.com/nosferatu