Guide to the Arts 2024: Best theater shows of the season

As part of our Guide to the Arts, which published in PRIME Magazine on Oct. 6, theater writer Oline H. Cogdill offered her Critic’s Picks for the best shows coming up in South Florida.

‘The Witches of Eastwick’

Oct. 19-Nov. 3, presented by Slow Burn Theatre Co. at Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Fort Lauderdale. Tickets start at $72.50 at slowburntheatre.org.

Think of this lively, sexy musical as a devilish version of “The Real Housewives” franchise, as a trio of bored women lament about their stagnant relationships over martinis and peanut butter brownies. The women have much magic to do. In searching for that “manner of man in one man,” they conjure a charismatic stranger to their Rhode Island town. Though it never made it to Broadway, this dance with the devil has achieved cult status with the musical’s many regional productions and successful international tours. Based on John Updike’s 1984 novel, these witches are even more fun than those in the 1987 movie that starred Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer.

From left, Lindsey Corey, Gail Bennett and Leah Sessa star in "The Witches of Eastwick." (Patrick Fitzwater/Courtesy)
From left, Lindsey Corey, Gail Bennett and Leah Sessa star in “The Witches of Eastwick.” (Patrick Fitzwater/Courtesy)

‘The Pillowman’

Oct. 24-Nov. 10, presented by Zoetic Stage at Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami. Tickets are $56-$61 at arshtcenter.org.

This harrowing play by British-Irish playwright Martin McDonagh is definitely for mature audiences and not for those easily shocked. Theatergoers who know McDonagh’s work expect no less. It is chilling, gritty and often uncomfortable, but this intense drama also is beautifully written and won many awards both in England and the United States. Zoetic Stage’s reputation for plowing the depths of a drama is sure to elevate this story of a writer who lives in a police state. He is being interrogated about a string of child murders that are similar to his short stories.

‘Some Like It Hot’

Dec. 3-8 at Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami. Individual ticket prices not available at press time; arshtcenter.org.

This energetic musical that garnered four Tony Awards during its Broadway run puts a decidedly LGBTQ spin on the 1959 Marilyn Monroe vehicle on which it is based. The plot is nearly the same: Two down-on-their luck jazz musicians flee Chicago after witnessing a mob hit during Prohibition. And yes, they still disguise themselves as women and join an all-female band. But the emphasis on diverse casting and the characters’ sexuality adds a depth to the humor.

The original Broadway company of "Some Like it Hot." (Marc J. Franklin/Courtesy)
The original Broadway company of “Some Like it Hot.” (Marc J. Franklin/Courtesy)

‘Peter Pan’

Feb, 12-16, 2025, at Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, West Palm Beach. Individual ticket prices not available at press time; kravis.org

May 6-May 18, 2025, at Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Fort Lauderdale. Individual ticket prices not available at press time; browardcenter.org.

A terrific way to introduce children to theater — or for adults to tap into their inner child — is to take the second star to the right and straight on ’til morning. There, in Neverland, you’ll find Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Wendy and her brothers John and Michael and all those Lost Boys. They need to be smarter than that aptly named Capt. Hook. The story of “The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up” has been entertaining generation after generation through short stories, books, movies, plays, musicals and more. This new adaptation promises plenty of singing, dancing and flying. A lot of flying.

‘The Humans’

Feb. 14-March 2, 2025, at Palm Beach Dramaworks, West Palm Beach. Tickets are $72-$107 at palmbeachdramaworks.org.

Thanksgiving celebrations have invoked myriad dramas and comedies that explore family dynamics, as does “The Humans,” a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and winner of the 2016 Tony Award for Best Play. The comedy-drama poignantly explores the Blake family who have gathered for Thanksgiving. But the holiday brings out the best and worst in the relationship of the parents, their two daughters and a grandmother suffering from Alzheimer’s. This look at aging and a changing economy is tender, funny, biting and very believable.

‘All My Sons’

Feb. 21-March 9, 2025, presented by New City Players at Island City Stage, Wilton Manors. Tickets are $40 (general), $25 (students, 25 and younger), $20 (industry) at newcityplayers.org.

New City Players has a knack for producing classics on small stages, using the intimate space to zero in on the play’s emotional heart, as the Players did with last season’s “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Those high standards no doubt will continue with this drama that won two Tony Awards in 1947. A deeply moving story of guilt and moral responsibility, “All My Sons” revolves around the families of two former business partners, one of whom was accused of selling shoddy aircraft that resulted in deaths during WWII.

‘Fat Ham’

April 3-May 4, 2025, at Island City Stage, Wilton Manors. Tickets are $43-$48 at islandcitystage.org.

May 16-June 15, 2025, at GableStage, Coral Gables. Tickets are $40-$75 at gablestage.org.

Island City Stage, GableStage and Brévo Theatre team up to co-produce this 2022 Pulitzer Prize winner that turns Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” into a humorous, poignant story of a gay Black man dealing with his Southern family. Juicy, the name of this Hamlet, struggles with the same issues as that of the Bard’s — visits by the ghost of his vengeance-seeking father, an uncle who may be a killer and who marries his mother, others trying to take over the kingdom, or in this case, the family’s North Carolina barbecue restaurant, putting a different flavor to Shakespeare’s “funeral baked meats.” You were expecting a Danish castle? “Fat Ham” had a successful run off-Broadway before transferring to Broadway for its limited engagement.

‘Shucked’

June 10-22, 2025, at Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Fort Lauderdale. Individual ticket prices not available at press time; browardcenter.org.

Lend an ear — did anyone ever believe that a musical about corn would be a hit? Well, someone did because “Shucked” not only landed on Broadway but it also garnered nine Tony Award nominations (and one win). This corny tale revolves around a town where the corn is dying. Saving the corn means saving the town, and a wedding. Can a musical about broccoli be far off?

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