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Miami Herald
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Review: Actors' Playhouse takes audiences on a thrill ride with ‘The Girl on the Train'
There's something about the intimate Balcony Theatre at the Actors' Playhouse that lends itself to a good thriller. In May of 2022, it was British mystery writer Agatha Christie's 'Murder on the Orient Express' that stood out as the perfect Spring whodunnit. Three years later, Artistic Director David Arisco returns to the British thriller, this time with 'The Girl on the Train,' based on the novel by Paula Hawkins. Many will be familiar with 'The Girl on the Train' from the 2015 bestselling mystery novel or the 2016 film starring Emily Blunt, which moved the locale to the United States from Hawkins' England. The play adaptation by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel stays true to Hawkins' setting and is currently on a UK and Ireland tour through August of 2025. But South Florida audiences needn't go any further than Coral Gables where Arisco and a cast of professional regional actors bring the complex drama to life. Falling apart after the breakup of her marriage, Rachel Watson (Gaby Tortoledo) is an alcoholic. She's 'The Girl' who rides the train into London every day passing by the house she shared with her husband Tom (Iain Batchelor), now inhabited by his new wife, Anna (Krystal Millie Valdes), and the couple's baby, Evie – something that adds to Rachel's torment since she was unable to have a child. In a house a few doors down, she catches glimpses of a couple – embracing, kissing – on a balcony. She's given them names – Jess and Jason, fantasizing about their perfect lives together, the one she believed she had, then lost. 'Don't you ever see someone and think, if I could step out of my shoes and into theirs, just for a day . . .' says Rachel about her imagining the couple's lives. One day, she spies 'Jess' – real name Megan Hipwell (Allie Beltran) – on the terrace in a real-life situation that breaks the spell. The fantasy shattered, Rachel spins off into a rage. When Megan suddenly disappears, Rachel shows up to the husband, Scott's (Ryan Didato) door claiming to be a close friend of his missing wife. Detective D.I. Gaskill (Gregg Weiner) tracks down Rachel at her fleabag flat – he's questioning her about the disappearance since she was spotted stumbling around a tunnel where Megan may have last been seen. Meanwhile, Rachel has a gash on her forehead and is unable to recall – because of one of her drunken blackouts – how it happened. Rounding out the cast of characters is Megan's therapist Kamal Abdic (Nate Promkul). Rachel will visit him, too, engaging him in her web. The minimalist setting by Brandon M. Newton consists of a backdrop that resembles puzzle pieces, a constant reminder of Rachel's jumbled memory. Different areas of the stage are playing areas for locales – Rachel's untidy flat; the Hipwell's house (with a bar cart as its centerpiece); Tom and his new wife's place; the two chairs that represent the therapist's office; and the detective's workspace. Drawn along the floor is a train track pattern, skewed in different ways and a constant reminder of Rachel's disjointed perspective. Sound design by Reidar Sorensen adds to the tension with the realistic train horn blaring at key points; when Rachel is in her flat in her drunken stupor, a deafening rock music soundtrack whips her into a frenzy. Lighting designer Eric Nelson has created a hazy quality for the 'lost memory' play. His use of a red light that comes from the side of the stage in between the curtains is haunting as Rachel tries to recreate what happened on the night in question. At other times, lighting choices are reminiscent of an Alfred Hitchcock film, sepia tone and black and white. The lighting also helps to mark transitions from one location to another, and dialogue from the past and the present. 'The Girl on the Train' as a book and a film benefited from narrative scene setting and voice over. The play adaptation is more difficult because it relies heavily on the bare bones of the storytelling. Arisco allows the suspense of the play to unfold strategically. The pacing is what creates the tension – at times slow and cautious, at others barreling down the tracks like a locomotive. As the alcoholic amateur sleuth, Tortoledo takes us along for the ride – we get caught up in her confusion and self-doubt, with the actress drawing sympathy yet, at times, conjuring loathing for her recklessness. With so many armchair detectives who have been created from the pop culture true crime phenomenon, Tortoledo gives Rachel an infusion of the 'mom next door' who has set out to crack the case – putting together clues and meddling in places she probably shouldn't be. The actress also never gives a portrayal of the slurring, caricatured drunk, but is utterly convincing that her drinking goes beyond the bottle. Batchelor captures the dual personality of Tom – nice guy on the surface, pathological, abusive liar in every other crevice. Beltran's Megan is at her best when she's retelling a tragic past, and Didato, who was so compelling in Zoetic Stage's 'The Pillowman,' brings to Scott a slow burn of intensity. Promkul as the empathetic therapist is believable as the man caught in the middle. Valdes plays new mom Anna as a woman yearning for an idyllic life free of the tribulations of her new husband's ex, Rachel. Weiner adds a sly humor to what could otherwise be a dullish gumshoe. The decision to have the cast speak in British dialect is appropriate for the setting and isn't a distraction; to each actor, it seems natural. (Cast member Batchelor, a native of the U.K., doubled as dialect coach.) Ellis Tillman's costumes, especially Rachel's long dowdy sweater and Megan's wispy dresses, are appropriately realistic. Adding realism, too, are Nicole Perry as intimacy director and Lee Soroko as fight director. Fans of the film and the book will find the Actors' Playhouse rendering of the stage adaptation a different take on the story. For those who have never seen 'The Girl on the Train,' it's a great theatrical ride. If you go: WHAT: 'The Girl on the Train' WHERE: Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables WHEN: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday through June 8. COST: $50, $60, and $70, weekdays; $65, $75 and $85, weekends. INFORMATION: 305-444-9293 or is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don't miss a story at
Miami Herald
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Young Talent Big Dreams drew hundreds of performers. Meet the 2025 winners
A high-stepping ninth-grader from New World School of the Arts soared above the stage with the agility of yesteryear dancer Gene Kelly. Tamerlan Guliyev won the grand prize of the 15th annual Young Talent Big Dreams competition in Coral Gables on May 10. His vehicle to the top of the judges' sheets? 'Dancin' Fool,' an ebullient number from Barry Manilow's 'Copacabana: The Musical.' An 11-year-old's original composition swept North Beach Elementary fifth-grader Soleil Nation to victory in an individual category. One group vocal winner of kids ages 9 to 13 sang a song called 'Revolting Children.' The chuckle-inducing title proved anything but. That tune, performed by children from Doral's SAH Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, comes from 'Matilda the Musical.' But the title of Soleil's winning composition, 'Stepping Stones,' proved a more fitting thematic description of what a cheering audience saw on the Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre stage: Young talented people's stepping stones to success in the arts. Actors' Playhouse, together with presenting sponsor The Children's Trust, held the finals of the 15th annual Young Talent Big Dreams, a local, free youth talent competition that has scoured Miami-Dade County for young talent every year since 2010. Young Talent Big Dreams invites students, ages 8 to 18, to compete in nine categories that tap their talents. The competition features six individual categories: pop/rock/rap vocals, Broadway/jazz/classical vocals, dance, musical instrument, original spoken word, and original vocal and/or instrumental composition. There are also three group categories for dance, musical instrument/bands, and vocal groups. The competition proved that powering through disappointments with pluck, perseverance and poise can pay off. Nina Marie, 16, has competed for nearly half of her life — seven years — at previous YTBD auditions. She finally seized the spotlight as a winner at the 15th finals showcase. She sparkled on Andra Day's aptly titled 'Rise Up' in the Individual Vocal Pop/Rock/Rap category. After confetti exploded on stage after Tamerlan's win as the overall best of the night, YTBD's 2024 champ Gerry Ibarra, 17, bounded on stage to congratulate his successor. A two-month marathon of preliminary and semifinal competitions began in March at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables. Subsequent auditions were held at the Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center in Cutler Bay, the City of Miami Little Haiti Cultural Complex and Miami Arts Studio 6-12 @ Zelda Glazer in West Miami-Dade. The rounds drew hundreds of contestants. Prizes include cash awards, master classes with industry professionals, year-round performance opportunities and performing arts scholarships. 'Marking 15 incredible years of Young Talent Big Dreams is both a milestone and a celebration of the extraordinary young artists who have taken our stage,' Barbara Stein, executive producing director of Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre said in a statement. 'Watching these talented performers blossom year after year continues to be one of the most rewarding aspects of our work.' The champions of the 2025 15th YTBD ▪ Individual Dance and Overall Grand Prize: Tamerlan Guliyev, 14, New World School of the Arts. He receives a $500 cash prize from Actors' Playhouse and four tickets to Universal/Islands of Adventure, courtesy of WSVN 7News. ▪ Original Composition: Soleil Nation, 11, North Beach Elementary School. ▪ Individual Vocal–Broadway/Jazz/Classical: Antonella Laferriere, 14, Divine Savior Academy. ▪ Individual Vocal–Pop/Rock/Rap: Nina Marie, 16, Miami Beach Senior High School. ▪ Individual Original Spoken Word: Nyshelle Burns, 18, Miami Norland Senior High School. ▪ Individual Musical Instrument: Benjamin Baralt, 11, Alexander Montessori School. ▪ Group Vocals: SAH Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. Emmanuel Arcilla, 13, of Downtown Doral Charter School; JJ Calvo, 13, of Doral International Academy of Math and Science; Paulina Gonzalez, 10, of Shelton Academy; Sophia Bovensiepen, 13, of Doral Academy Preparatory School; Ana Paula Mayor, 10, of Pinecrest North Preparatory; and Anna Hurtado, 9, of Academir Charter School East. ▪ Group Dance: Dancing Twins. Caitlynn and Camilah Diaz, both 9, of Caribbean K–8 Center. ▪ Group Musical Instrument/Bands: Sunset Elementary Band. Alexander Borja, 11; William Borja, 9; and Thomas Delecluse, 10, all from Sunset Elementary School; and Ricardo Cloppert, 12, of George Washington Carver Middle School. Howard Cohen, a staff writer at the Miami Herald for 34 years, who also teaches at the University of Miami School of Communication, has volunteered as a judge for Young Talent Big Dreams at Actors' Playhouse since the competition's inception in 2010.
Miami Herald
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Playwright celebrates Coral Gables Centennial with a personal story about the city
The year was 1925 and Miami looked very different — fewer buildings, a lot more marshy wetland. Prohibition was in full effect and there was a land boom that could put today's real estate market to shame. It was also the same year the City of Coral Gables was incorporated. In celebration of the City Beautiful's centennial, the Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre is hosting 'Greetings From Paradise,' a limited five-night engagement theatrical experience by June Thomson Morris that will transport audiences back in time. The play, opening on Tuesday, tells the story about Miami's development and the land boom of the 1920s that changed the city's landscape forever. It parallels the stories of developers George Merrick, who established Coral Gables, and Carl Fisher, who built the Miami Beach we know today. Behind the plot of these two real estate titans is a love story about a young girl from Indiana who boards a train to meet a boy in Miami. As Lucy and Robert's relationship progresses, so does the city around them. The story is particularly personal for playwright Morris. The characters of Lucy and Robert are based on her grandparents. 'As a little girl, I heard the story [about Miami's development] directly from my grandmother's lips. She would tell me how she got on a train at age 19 back in 1924 and left her small town in Indiana and rode Henry Flagler's East Coast Railroad down to Miami… all to meet a man that she had met at a dance in Indianapolis.' While Morris has always dreamed of writing the story of how her grandparents met and fell in love, she has also been fascinated by Florida's history. 'I've been intrigued with the story of the great Florida land boom of 1925,' says Morris. 'And I love the fact that my grandparents are part of that history.' A journalist by trade (she earned a master's degree from Northwestern's University's Medill School of Journalism and worked in broadcast news at television stations throughout the country as an anchor and reporter), Morris knows the importance of facts and research. She spent nearly a year gathering information on Miami's history and would pore over books and archives. After she'd collected ample material, Morris says when she sat down to write, the story came to her effortlessly. 'I could hear the characters' voices in my head,' Morris says, a bright smile crossing her lips. 'What I really want to do [with this play] is bring Florida's history to life. We're talking about the Magic City, and I'm surprised as to how many people have never heard the history of Miami or know very little about it.' Thomson knows a bit about Coral Gables. Her mother, Dorothy Thomson, made history as the first and only female mayor of Coral Gables in its first 100 years. David Arisco, artistic director for Actors' Playhouse, who is directing 'Greetings From Paradise,' applauds Morris' storytelling. He recalls that when she first approached him two years ago with a rough script, he knew that he was reading something special. 'I thought it was a really interesting project, and I really wanted to be involved, especially with the Miracle Theatre being right in downtown Coral Gables and the centennial,' says Arisco. Over the next two years, the pair would workshop the script and the timing for its premiere on April 29 would align perfectly – it was the exact day the City of Coral Gables was incorporated in 1925. 'It's a good play,' says Arisco. 'I think it's a story that needs to be told.' He describes it almost like watching a dramatic documentary. 'It has elements that are a bit like a documentary but at the same time it's a play. We've got a great cast to tell this story.' Arisco continues, 'We're meeting characters like George Merrick and Carl Fisher and Doc Dammers [Edward 'Doc' Dammers was the first mayor of Coral Gables]. And though the story is more specific to Coral Gables, because Merrick and Fisher were kind of doing their thing at a similar time, we thought it was fun to include a bit about the Miami Beach story and to show Merrick and Fisher as these dual visionaries who did incredible things.' Actor Gregg Weiner, most recently seen in Miami New Drama's 'Lincoln Road Hustle,' plays Fisher and describes the man as an adrenaline junkie. In addition to developing Miami Beach, Fisher also helped to build Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500. He liked speed — and attention. 'He was a big man, he was a proud man, and he appreciated attention and liked taking risks,' says Weiner. Through his own research and conversations with Morris, Weiner developed his version of Fisher. 'We see him at the height of his achievements. He's built something out of nothing, which is astonishing to me, and he really appreciates all of his accomplishments,' says the actor. 'Greetings From Paradise' is Morris' debut play. She reveals that she has plans to develop the script into a full-length feature film while continuing to work on stories about Miami's development. 'After this is done, I want to get back to the screenplay and perhaps write a book where I can round out Miami's history with all the truth,' says Morris. 'My grandparents' story is one I've always wanted to tell, but the time has come to tell a fuller story, a truthful story, and I hope to do that next.' If you go: WHAT: 'Greetings From Paradise' by June Thomson Morris WHERE: Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables WHEN: 6 p.m. Tuesday (special Centennial Gala presentation, limited availability); 8 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday, May 1 and Friday, May 2; noon Saturday, May 3. COST: Regular performances, $65-$75, includes $10 service fee. INFORMATION: (305) 444-9293 or is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don't miss a story at
