Deborah Bostock-Kelley - Page 18

Through interviewing a pair of Aladdins and Jasmins, as well as a Genie, the consensus is clear. FL Drama Kids is so much more than learning the steps to putting on a musical. Friendships are forged, confidences built and the instructors/directors create a much-needed, fun and safe haven for kids to be themselves.

Imagine meeting the one you know in your heart is "the one" and a whirlwind courtship where you are married three short weeks later. Written by Abigail Bengson, Shaun Bengson and Sarah Gancher, "HUNDRED DAYS" tells the story of how the Begsons, a musician couple, would embrace life if gifted with only HUNDRED DAYS.

I'll admit - I'm addicted to 'Who's Line Is It Anyway.' From my first taste of the British version to discovering the US version on ABC Family to following its revival over to CW Seed, I've loved every crazy minute watching the talented cast make up hysterical performances on the fly. I actually wondered if it was some TV editing trick or did they really make it up as they went along. 'Whose Live Anyway?', a 90-minute concert on January 12 at Ruth Eckerd Hall, proved just how incredibly gifted these performers were. Yes, they actually make up every story and song spontaneously.

If you love Steel Magnolias as much as I do, you always wait with bated breath to see if the actresses in the production can pull off the believability of long-term bonds of friendship. At the opening night of director Aaron Washington's production at Carrollwood Players Theatre, as soon as the cast of six was on stage together, it was easy to see the real, comfortable rapport.

Back by popular demand is the Winter Cabaret at TECO Theatre at the Straz Center on January 12. Performed by Patel Conservatory students in grade seven through adult, Winter Cabaret features solo, duet and small group musical performances, with a choreographed opening and closing number.

Today, live shooter drills in elementary, middle and high school are as normal as fire drills, but twenty years ago, school shootings weren't commonplace. When Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris went on a shooting spree on April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado that killed 15 and injured 20, it became part of a history that we have yet to be able to escape, a division of 'Before Columbine' and 'After Columbine.' On January 10-20, Innovocative Theatre, known for their thought-provoking, edgy performances, will bring COLUMBINUS, a mixture of fact and fiction, to Stageworks. Leading an eight-person ensemble are Nick Hoop and Ryan Fisher in the roles of Eric and Dylan.

We asked our editors to pick out 9 shows to look forward to in 2019! Check out Deborah Bostock-Kelley's list of theatre to watch for Tampa/St. Petersburg!

On Thursday, January 3, the lyrics of NEXT TO NORMAL battered us. Our hearts broke for Dan and Natalie, watching his wife, her mother struggling with a terrible loss, with highest highs and lowest lows of mental illness and trying help as best they could, often getting caught in the crossfire.

Imagine combing through 500 diverse submissions of new works to choose selections to perform during the third annual 21ST CENTURY VOICES: NEW PLAY FESTIVAL at American Stage. Producing Artistic Director Stephanie Gularte and a committee of 40 members read and evaluated each new play and selected five outstanding plays for staged readings on January 3-6, 2019.

A passion project for the cast, directed by Devan Kelty and musically directed by Joseph Scarbrough, 'Next to Normal' centers on a mother who struggles with mental illness and the impact on her family. Featuring a live band of 5 musicians and running January 3-11, 'Next to Normal' showcases a small cast of seven: Bethany S. Moore as Diana, Erin Johnson as Diana, Gabriel Flores as Dan, Rachel Rodriguez as Natalie, Devan Kelty as Gabe, Zach Finley as Henry and Nic Harrington as Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine.

Something extraordinary is coming to Powerstories Theatre during Women's History Month in March 7-24, 2019. If as a female, you've ever wanted to place to display your creative self - be it music, theatre, storytelling, poetry, dance, or art - SHEVOLUTION is a very special event and Powerstories a haven for talented women.

Whether you find Betty Taylor socially irresponsible or admirable for wanting to share her love with a family of 12, "Raising Twelve on a Nickel and a Prayer" is a special holiday treat. The true-story musical written by Fran Powers about her parents and siblings, with music by Terez Hartmann, has everything needed to become a holiday classic: romance, family, drama, comedy and tons and tons of heart.

Playing through December 25 at Show Palace Dinner Theatre, in Holiday Incorporated, it doesn't matter what you celebrate, multitalented actor, director and playwright Jonathan Van Dyke has you covered in a musical tale about an elf named Ivy who's lost her love for the holidays and the five magical board members who help her find her way back to believing.

If a time machine could bring Chicago crooner Evan Tyrone Martin back to the decades where Nat King Cole, hailed as one of the best and most influential vocalists, pianists and small-group leaders of the swing era, was brilliantly entertaining audiences, the question he would ask the American legend is simple: Am I doing this right?

To say something magical happened last night in Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center would be like describing The Texas Tenors as just three gorgeous singers from Texas. Magic doesn't fully encompass what happened in that hall as the enormous vocals of John Hagen, Marcus Collins, and JC Fisher enveloped us, filled up the entire theatre for 'The Texas Tenors: Deep in the Heart of Christmas.'

Despite a laundry list of accolades, awards, and loyal fans, you can't get much more down to earth than the men from The Texas Tenors. First introduced by America's Got Talent host Nick Cannon as 'classical music meets cattle ranchers,' The Texas Tenors' rise to fame has been nothing short of whirlwind.

What do you get when you cross the unruly Herdman children with a sacred church Christmas Pageant? Debuting November 29-December 2 in the Straz Center for the Performing Arts' TECO Theater, you get a family-friendly show bursting with holiday cheer. Featuring a cast of 44 students from grades two through college, the Straz Center's Patel Conservatory will present The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

Whether you loved the characters of 'Pride and Prejudice' or know nothing about them, you are sure to adore what director Stephanie Gularte calls a 'romantic, holiday comedy.' 'Mary Bennet in 'Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly,' makes its holiday debut at American Stage on November 28 - December 30.

With tongue firmly planted in cheek, from the imagination of local playwright Joe Pauly comes the outrageous tale of Ebenezer Scungili, the heat-toting Italian olive oil import company proprietor (wink-wink-nudge-nudge) and his miserly, Christmas-hating ways. In this clever adaption of the holiday favorite, 'A Christmas Cannoli' is what happens when 'Casino,' 'Godfather 1, 2, and 3' meet 'A Christmas Carol' and birth an illegitimate, blue-humored, sarcastic baby.

Just in time for the holidays comes a musical, spanning 1950 to 1966, about a mother of 12. "Raising Twelve on a Nickel and a Prayer" was written by playwright and Powerstories Theatre founder Fran Taylor Powers' in honor of her parents and to show that everyone has a dream.