English
Alliance Theatre
through September 17, 2023

This is a show about some Iranians attending a small class of ESL in a town not far from Tehran. The theme is how those who grow up speaking their native language, in this case Farsi, can more easily change over to a second adopted language.

Written by Sanaz Toossi and with five actors reaching into their lives to figure out what to do, vis-a-vis maybe moving to the United States or some other English speaking land. You meet Goli (Auveen Dezgaran), Omid (Ash Kahn), Elham (Sade Namei) and Roya (Saye Yabandeh) who are the students and Marjan (Pooya Mohseni) who is their teacher trying to prep them for an ESL test.

Part of living in todays Iran is that the so-called morality police, are making life a living hell for many women. Iran is a land that is beautiful and the people are nice but it is another of those lands which is blessed but also burdened by authoritarian regimes. A lot worse then when the Shah still ran the show.

This one runs about an hour and 20 minutes with the intermission. It is not one for the kiddies, nor maybe not for the recent green card arrivals. But, if you have lived in areas like south Florida you know how a second language can often become and almost-first one.

There is more info and tickets available at AllianceTheatre.org

The Wake
at Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse

This new play by Vynnie Meli goes back to the olde sod for the wake of a local It’s a bit from Finnegan’s Wake but different. The 16 rounds of music are directed by Clark Taylor while Mira Hirsch is the director of the show.

The music isn’t stuff you’ll recall much, unless you spend a lot of time at your local, But, Oh Danny Boy as sung by the funeral director (Spencer Stephens) will ring a bell. The rest of the cast is made up of Faina Khbkin, Rivka Levin, Trevor Goble and Clark Taylor doubles as narrator for the story.

As Finneas lies beneath the shroud by the window to the heavens, the grieving family and friends know that there is plenty of booze and nosh on the tables. Just have to get through the night with everybody OK>

This is not one for the youngsters, nor for those with recent losses. But it is well performed and you may find it coming back to a local stage in the future.

The show closes this weekend, so get tickets easily at ShakespeareTavern.com

Beautiful
Aurora Theatre
through September 17, 2023

You may not know the famous songwriter-singer, Carole Klein, but you surely know the music and all those #1 hits by somebody known as Carole King. For she was just a kid from Brooklyn when she wrote her first number and managed to get it produced by Don Kirshner (Cory Phelps) She was only 15 but tried to pass herself off as being an adult 16 year old.

This is the story of Carole King’s career, her several marriages, and her more than 400 numbers which got produced. With a really energetic cast of more than 20 players, the show hits the boards with a full orchestra under the direction of Ann-Carol Pence. The show’s director and choreographer is David Rossetti; and the action never stops, except for the intermission, and runs more than two hours as they work through more than two dozen numbers.

Bethany Irby is onstage full-time as Carole King, and she really bulls it off with all the dancing, piano playing and singing. You’ll also really dig when you see the Shirelle’s and the Drifters. This is one that anybody with an AARP card will really resonate to and enjoy to the fullest.

You can read a lot more and order tickets at their website, AuroraTheatre.com Enjoy!

JUKEBOX GIANTS, and MOTOWN MORE
STRAND THEATRE
through August 27, 2023

They’re Back for a third inning at The Strand! And loaded with energy like the old days, when the Jukebox was belting out all themm good Oldies. Direted by Shane DeLancey and choreoggraphed by Zac Phelps, a cast of 13 singers and dancers bring so many goodies to the audience. Backed up by a live on-stage band of 10 players, and with so many glamorous old costumes, they bring down the house,

Avanni Cherie, Joi Henry, Kristen Kenebrew, Ruth Mehari and Taylor Pasqualetti-Campbell provide an undeniable supply of eye candy for the audience; while Carle Atwater, Rayvon Love, Maurice Clermont, Parick Hamilton, Jr, James Patrick, Charles Pruitt, Jordan Rivers and Deshawn Willliams are a group of classy gentlemen who also like to enjoy an evening of song and dance.

This is certainly one that senior citizens relate to, sing along with, clap in time, and thoroughly enjoy. But, if you sleep you lose, so reserve your seat now online or by phone. East to get to, plenty of local parking, all seats with good view and more info and tickets at EarlSmithStrand.org

Red, White and Tuna
Onstage Atlanta
through August 27, 2023

Them guys fromTuna, Texas is back agin, and I gotta tell y’all that you sure gonna have one helluva good time if you get yourself over to Onstage Atlanta for this here one.

Brandon Mitchell and DeWayne Morgan hit the stage doin’ an unbelievable number of roles, and you gonna split your sides laughin’ at this one. It’s time to elect a Prom Queen and natcherly Vera thinks it should be her. But, things in Tuna don’t always work out so good.

Leslie Kimball directed this here show. If you seen any of them other Tuna shows you may recall most of the characters like the goofy pet shelter guy, Petey, and that gal, Didi who owns the gun shop. Of course the show starts off at local radio station RUOK with them two locals doin’ their thing on the air for the whole town to hear.

I could go on fer quite a while, but figgered it might be better to just tell you what this here snobby friend of mine done wrote me. He said “The production was well staged and one in the audience watching the show would marvel at the incredible speed with which these two veteran performers changed roles as well as costumes. They must have had the help of some real good dressers. The timing was spot-on and the show was a pure delight.”

In plain language I can tell y’all that Tuna got some quirky and but good folks living there, but like all town, big and little, there is always some problems and their’s is right funny, through every minute of the play. I guarantee you that you will enjoy each and every minute of this here one, so just go to their website, OnstageAtlanta.com, and you can get more info and tickets. They do the show Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon. Enjoy!