Empire Stage

HopStop

View on Large Map
Get Directions

Be the first of your friends to review this location.

+ Add Photos

00000 - 00000 of 00000

+ Add A Photo

00,000 of 00,000

1140 N. Flagler Drive Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

954-678-1496

Website

Be the first to review Write A Review

Best Theater Space
Award Winner 2011

Description

If you don't get lost looking for Empire Stage for the first time, then congratulations: You'd be the first. But this playhouse's locational obscurity is actually part of its charm; just as with Sol Theatre, the building's previous occupant, Empire Stage remains the best-kept secret in the South Florida theater scene. Artistic director David Gordon specializes in offbeat comedies with an LGBT slant, but even when his company isn't producing anything, he lends out the space to other producers to help keep the threadbare operation in business. Even when the plays occasionally crater, the funky, DIY interior design and free wine make it a fun place to visit.

2011 | Best Theater Space

Between the free wine, the lurid red lobby atmosphere, and the scandalous, nudity-filled programming, there was always something potentially dangerous about Fort Lauderdale's Sol Theatre; it was a venue whose shock potential was limitless. Before its 2010 closure, the playhouse serviced an edgy LGBT audience, and Empire Stage, which launched its first show in the former Sol space in January 2010, has maintained Sol's beloved ambiance while improving on some of its deficiencies. Since taking... More »

'Love Burns' at Empire Stage: Lovely Atmosphere, Uneven Comedy

By John Thomason | Thu, May 17, 2012

For the current production Love Burns, Nicole Stodard's Thinking Cap Theatre has been transformed into a coffee shop called Hip Sip Coffee, which shamelessly milks the branding of a certain ubiquitous coff eehouse chain. During the "night of coffe... More »
"Last Call" at Empire Stage: It's Not an Interactive Show

By John Thomason | Thu, April 19, 2012

The world premiere of First Step Productions' Last Call on its opening night at Empire Stage last Friday was a miserable experience. It had nothing to do with skilled director Michael Leeds or this one-woman show's incredibly creative performer, T... More »
"Top Gun! The Musical" at Empire Stage: Offbeat Comedy Is Just Plane Bad

By John Thomason | Thu, February 16, 2012

A pilot sits in his makeshift "plane" — a repurposed wheelbarrow papered with a sparkly, hand-drawn military insignia. It's the opening scene of Top Gun! The Musical at Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale, and the barrow-plane is being rolled clunkily... More »
Top Gun, the Musical: Not as Dumb as It Sounds

By Brandon K. Thorp | Thu, February 02, 2012

The almost universally acclaimed Top Gun, the Musical isn’t actually a musical version of Top Gun. It’s a play about the musical version of Top Gun. This is the story of Billy Palmer, a Broadway producer in desperate need of a hit after the failur... More »
"Snow White Trash" at Infinite Abyss: A Grimm Fairy Tale Gets a Tawdry Face-Lift in This Uninspired Comedy

By John Thomason | Thu, January 12, 2012

For what it's worth, Infinite Abyss' production of Snow White Trash delivers exactly what you would expect from its title. Problem is, it's not worth much. The Grimm Brothers' fairy tale is recast in a South Florida trailer park, complete with hum... More »
Loading More Critics Reviews

Looking for another city?

Empire Stage

1140 N. Flagler Drive Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

954-678-1496

Description

2011 | Best Theater Space

By John Thomason | Thu, May 17, 2012

By John Thomason | Thu, April 19, 2012

By John Thomason | Thu, February 16, 2012

By Brandon K. Thorp | Thu, February 02, 2012

By John Thomason | Thu, January 12, 2012