Florida Spotlight: October 2007

It’s not every day that Florida gets a pre-Broadway tryout, but it does this month. Jill Santoriello’s epic musical A Tale of Two Cities, based on the Charles Dickens novel, premieres at Sarasota’s Asolo Repertory Theatre (October 13-November 18). Broadway star James Barbour, Natalie Toro, and Joe Cassidy head the large cast.

In Miami, Tony Award winner Patti LuPone is one of the main attractions at the Carnival Center on October 7, while the Center also hosts The Classical Theatre of Harlem as the group presents Romeo and Juliet (October 10-13) and Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death (October 17- 20).

Gablestage presents award-winning actresses Kameshia Duncan and Lela Elam in In the Continuum (October 13-November 18). The Actors’ Playhouse offers The Fantastic Return of the Fabulous Fable Factory for younger audiences (October 4-27), and Urinetown, the Musical for more mature audiences (October 10-November 11).

In Fort Lauderdale, The Women’s Theater Project is presenting Uncommon Women and Others (October 25-November 18), but the city’s biggest shows are at the Broward Center. There, audiences can catch The Wedding Singer (October 3-14) and Tony winner Barbara Cook, appearing with the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus (October 22), alongside plenty of shows for the young and the young-at-heart: On October 11, Stone Soup provides memorable musical lessons on the importance of sharing; Paul Zaloom brings the wacky science of his hit educational T.V. show, Beakman’s World, to the stage in Beakman Live! (October 16); on the 20th, TheatreworksUSA presents its musical adaptation of Max and Ruby, based on the hit Nickelodeon show and the books by Rosemary Wells; the 23rd finds Mole, Rat, Badger, and Toad on many an adventure in The Wind in the Willows; and the master of adventures, Tom Sawyer, makes his way to the stage on the 24th.

At the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, theatergoers can enjoy Broadway Across America productions of Stomp (October 2-7) and My Fair Lady (October 30-November 4). Judy Gold presents her 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother (October 16 – November 4) and you can also catch Evita in the Center’s Dreyfoos Hall (October 18). And Dracula Radio Drama (October 15) recreates radio shows of yesteryear, using live actors and sound effects to create an audio landscape perfect for the Halloween season.

Just down the road in South Palm Beach, Florida Stage, a member of the National New Play Network, presents the world premiere of End Days (October 19- November 25). Jesus, Elvis, and Stephen Hawking all come together in what can only be described as a bad year for 16-year-old Rachel Stein. And Palm Beach Dramaworks presents Frank D. Gilroy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Subject Was Roses (October 17-December 2).

Also in the southern part of Palm Beach, the Lake Worth Playhouse presents The World Goes ‘Round (October 12-28), a musical revue featuring the songs of Kander & Ebb. The show contains selections from Cabaret, Chicago, New York, New York, Funny Girl, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and more. But the Tamarac Theater for the Performing Arts counters with its own production of the musical celebration, running October 20-November 11.