Three professional theaters in Palm Beach County have slated their 2021/2022 seasons in just the past week, marking a flurry of encouraging news for one of the final cultural sectors to return to “normal.” Here’s what we have to look forward to.
Theatre Lab at FAU
To Fall in Love (Nov. 20-Dec. 12)
This production, cut short by the pandemic on its opening night in March 2020, will finally see the (stage) light. Matt Stabile and Niki Fridh star in this Southeastern premiere by Jennifer Lane, about a couple attempting to save their splintering marriage by consulting a 36-question personality test.
Last Night in Inwood (Feb. 5-27, 2022)
In this world premiere by Alix Sobler, Manhattan is in the throes of the apocalypse, leaving its frantic islanders scrambling literally for higher ground: in this case Danny’s one-bedroom apartment in Inwood. As it fills up with her family and friends, they all must survive each other to survive the end of the world.
Overactive Letdown (March 26-April 10, 2022)
In another world premiere, from playwright Gina Montet, a pregnancy that doesn’t go as planned leads the mother to mentally burrow into the imaginary worlds of her favorite movies, offering a novel and illuminating perspective on postpartum depression.
The Wick Theatre
Mamma Mia! (Oct. 7-Nov. 14)
The enduring jukebox musical kicks off the Wick’s season on an enchanting note. A bride-to-be, who has never met her father, sends wedding invitations to three possible candidates: All show up, leading to much mystery, mayhem and humor, supplemented by ABBA’s toe-tapping hits.
The Winter Spectacular with Marilyn Maye and Nicholas King (Nov. 26-Dec. 19)
These longtime specialists in the art of cabaret performance will pool their talents for this one-of-a-kind production, offering their takes on holiday classics and more, with the backing of a live orchestra.
Gypsy (Jan. 6-13, 2022)
One of the crowning achievements of the American musical, “Gypsy” riffs on the memoirs of real-life striptease entertainer Gypsy Lee and her overbearing stage mother Rose. The result is one of the most dramatic and complex musicals of its, or any, time, featuring standards from “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” to “Let Me Entertain You.”
Damn Yankees (March 3-April 3, 2022)
The durable Richard Adler/Jerry Ross musical returns to the diamond for another high-energy, fleet-footed production. The jubilant musical recasts the Faust legend as an allegory for America’s pastime, as a desperate real estate agent decides to sell his soul to aid his beloved Washington Senators in besting the perennial Yankees.
Breaking Up is Hard to Do (April 21-May 15, 2022)
“Grease” movie stars Barry Pearl and Didi Conn will star in the Wick’s rendition of this jukebox musical. Centering on two girls nursing various heartaches at a dilapidated club in the Catskills, the musical features 18 Neil Sedaka favorites, from the title tune to “Stupid Cupid” and “Where the Boys Are.”
Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Jersey Boys (Jan. 11-30, 2022)
The Maltz’s regional-theatre premiere of the beloved Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons musical is as notable for its location as its content: In a first for the company, the musical will be staged in the open air, in the comfortable and sprawling confines of Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, whose excellent acoustics will make hits like “Sherry” and “Walk Like a Man” soar.
I Hate Hamlet (Feb. 8-20, 2022)
Paul Rudnick’s witty comedy centers on an actor torn between accepting an artistically nourishing role as Shakespeare’s tormented prince, or taking a more lucrative part in a hit television series. The ghost of John Barrymore, in whose apartment the conflicted actor dwells, will help him make the decision. In another first-time staging for the Maltz, this production will be presented in the 800-seat theatre at the Benjamin School.
Sweet Charity (Feb. 19-March 9, 2022)
The Maltz will have concluded its $36 million renovation by the time of this high-season production, welcoming audiences back into the theater for its grand reopening. Borrowing from an unlikely source material—Federico Fellini’s black-and-white romantic dramedy “Nights of Cabiria”—this Cy Coleman musical, from a book by Neil Simon, chronicles the everyday travails of a dancer for hire and hopeless romantic in 1960s New York City.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (March 22-April 10, 2022)
Arguably besting its source material—the 1988 comedy film of the same name—this inspired Jeffrey Lane/David Yazbek musical follows two con artists specializing in tricking wealthy women out of their largesse, only to meet their unlikely match.
For more of Boca magazine’s arts and entertainment coverage, click here.
