Area Stage Company

Area Stage Company adds a charming, fishy fairy-tale to its already wildly successful Mainstage Season. The Coral Gables-based theatre will open Disney’s The Little Mermaid in January, presenting the well-known story as a seaside circus spectacular. Following the immense success, and critical acclaim, of his Shrek The Musical and She Kills Monsters earlier this year, Giancarlo Rodaz will direct as well as … +

Area Stage Company in Coral Gables presents The Ballad of Janis Matthews and the Dodo Scouts, a world premiere musical written, directed, and designed by ASC’s own Giancarlo Rodaz, with music by Rachel Dean. This folk rock, coming-of-age musical story follows Janis Matthews, a young girl living in 1960’s Colorado. During the course of a summer, she is set on a rollicking … +

Cliff Bradshaw, an American author working on a novel in Berlin, encounters singer Sally Bowles at the seedy Kit Kat Klub. When she is fired by the club’s owner—her jealous boyfriend—she moves in with Cliff and the two fall in love. As the Nazis begin taking control of the government, the atmosphere of the Kit Kat Klub and the lives of Cliff … +

Winner of the Lawrence Oliver, Tony, and Drama Desk awards, Shrek the Musical starts off as many fairy tales do: “Once upon a time …” Yet this story is all but your typical fairy tale. After accepting he will live alone, apart from the “Big Bright Beautiful World” outside, Shrek’s swamp is invaded by fairy tale misfits thanks to a new decree by … +

The ever-curious Alice begins her journey innocently enough as she chases the White Rabbit. Her adventures become increasingly more strange as she races the Dodo Bird, gets tied up with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, raps with a bubble-blowing Caterpillar, and beats the Queen of Hearts at her own game! Based on Lewis Carroll’s famous novel, Disney’s Alice in Wonderland features updated songs from the animated … +

Based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel, the musical of Carrie hasn’t been seen since its legendary 1988 Broadway production. Carrie White is a misfit and an outcast who’s bullied by the popular crowd and virtually invisible to everyone else. However, Carrie has just discovered she has a special power, and if pushed too far, she’s not afraid to use it…. Set in today’s world in a small town in … +

Eric Lane’s poignant and hilarious play RIDE takes three teenage girls on a life-changing road trip. While Carrie and Molly would never hang out together at high school, the two form a fragile bond during their job at a local farm stand. Molly convinces Carrie to join her on an unexpected road trip, which deepens their connection. Sam, Carrie’s eleven-year-old sister, joins … +

An Octoroon is the kind of art that defies a Siskel & Ebert thumbs up / thumbs down assessment. You can praise or fault elements of the script or a production, but Area Stage Company’s courageous effort reinforces An Octoroon’s overarching intent as a thought provocateur. It’s impossible to be neutral about its premise and execution, which is what Area Stage and … +