By Lucy Komisar

In New York I write about theater and am a member of the Drama Desk, the organization of critics and writers who vote on annual awards for best shows and artists. So it was a very pleasant surprise that on a visit to Key West, I found drama just as good as any I could find in New York.

This big little village at the end of the Florida Keys, the southernmost point of the U.S., has two theaters that are enriched by the fact that performers like to live in or visit Key West. In cabaret, for example, there is Carmen Rodriguez and Bobby Nesbitt, as good as anyone you’ll find in New York.

And you have the WATERFRONT PLAYHOUSE, near Mallory Square, where hundreds gather each evening to watch the stunning sunsets. Street entertainment is provided by low and high buskers – from musicians to fire-eaters – along the seaside walk. But a few steps away is a cream stone building that puts on revivals of Broadway plays along with new productions every month. I saw “39 STEPS.” I had seen it in New York on and off-Broadway, and this production was every bit as good.

The play is based in a 1935 Alfred Hitchcock spy thriller about a Brit, Richard Hannay (Brandon Beach) who stumbles upon a German plot to steal a British military secret when a woman he met at a London music hall (where shots are fired), gets him to take her to his apartment. After telling him about the plot, she is murdered, knifed in the back, and he takes her map and departs on a train to Scotland to pursue the bad guys. But he is suspected in the killing, his face is published in the paper and…..

Well, no need to continue with the film, because the play by Brit Patrick Barlow is a brilliant parody, in which four people — Beach as Hannay, Erin McKenna as various women, and David Black and J.B. McLendon (the Clowns) as everyone from train passengers and inn keepers to the evil killer and his wife — play every role, switching hats, clothes and voices at breakneck speed. Beach is cool and sophisticated. McKenna delights with her guttural “ch” as in “loch..ch..ch.” Black and McLendon are brilliant in their versatility. Director Danny Weathers manages to skillfully pull off the especially difficult task of making it all look smooth and effortless.

The Waterfront may not have Broadway’s cash, but it does a terrific job with shadow puppets of planes. (Hitchcock’s silhouette is seen on a hill in the foreground.) A car is two chairs, with the driver holding a wheel. This production could easily tour to major cities.

On another evening, I went to the Waterfront to see FIONA MOLLOY. As young woman at the time of the Irish religious conflicts, she went to London to sing peace songs. In that era, she also sang with Joan Baez, and they were a good match, voice and politics. Her music is still political. And her voice is rich, lilting over her electric guitar.

She sang “The Streets of London” about the 1970s homeless. And The Last Farewell: “We’ll all go together.” A Baez song, “Diamonds n Rust” in which a coal miner pledges to never again go down underground.

Bobby Nesbitt joined her to do “Look to the Rainbow,” from Finian’s Rainbow” and a terrific “Lili Marlene.” That’s a 1915 German song about a soldier being posted to another place and sad about the girl he’s left behind. It became popular with soldiers of both sides in World War II. First Nesbitt did it in German, then Molloy in French, then both in English.

A highlight was the 1966 song “Those were the days my friend” and then “This land is your land,” for nostalgia.

Going to Fiona’s concert was not just an artistic event but a social gathering. People who live in Key West in season or year ’round know each other and after the performance, everyone mingled at an
after party held just outside the theater in a sculpture garden with busts of important Key Westers. The food and wine were donated by “Finnegan’s Wake,” a local Irish restaurant where Fiona has sung.

There was another kind of nostalgia at “OIL CITY SYMPHONY,” a parody musical at the RED BARN, the other theater, located off Duval Street, the main drag.

The play is a hokey reunion of graduates of Oil City, Ohio, High School. It was written by Mike Cracer, Debra Monk, Mark Hardwick and Mary Murfitt. The audience loved it. I prefer the sophistication of “39 Steps,” but I appreciated the talents of the performers.

Laurie Breakwell is excellent as Debbie, the drummer, and Gayla Morgan (Mary) plays a mean violin. Both are clad in dreadful 1950s dresses (Laurie in polka dots). The men are also good musicians. Trey Forsyth (Mike) plays a synthesizer and Charlie Lindberg (Mark) who is also the musical director, 50s-fashionable in suspenders and over-sized bow-tie, tickles the ivories. (The cliché seems appropriate!)

The play starts with “Count your Blessings” and moves on to lindy and polka numbers. I liked the 1970s jazz and rock. The best was the funny doo wop by Debbie: “Why does my heart go on beating… don’t they know it’s the end of the world?” And the “Old Kentucky Rock & Roll Home.”

But the show bottomed out at the hokey pokey, which many audience members, in their 50s and 60s, were urged to join, standing and shaking in their rows, and they did. I also found director Joy Hawkins’ pace a bit slow, almost mimicking the performers’ lack of assurance. But most in audience loved the play, and I overheard one woman say it was the highlight of her visit to Key West.

There was no difference of opinion on the drama of the FURY “COMMOTION ON THE OCEAN” sunset sail which is one of the don’t-miss experiences for Key West visitors. It was my second time.

Sunset cruises are _de rigueur_ for visitors to Key West. Sailboats and catamarans set out from the Key West Seaport in the north of the Old Town an hour before (5pm in winter for the 6 pm sunset) to get close to the stunning natural beauty of the red globe sinking into the sea. Of course, it’s also an excuse for an on-board party. I like the Fury catamaran “Commotion” cruise, for two reasons.

One, because it’s a catamaran rather than a schooner, it’s easy to walk around and to move between several decks. Second, it provides entertainment and a full meal and drinks.

We boarded the boat near the historic seaport boardwalk. People spread out onto the main deck, the top deck, and below the deck at tables across from the galley. On the main deck, the Cory Heydon band played country and Island music. People listened, swayed and danced.

The crew put out platters of tasty barbecued chicken, meatballs, veggies, cheese and fruit. Wine, beer and soft drinks were available throughout the two-hour trip. It was a convivial journey, easy to chat with neighbors and get to know folks from other places. After we got started, the sail was raised on the top deck and billowed.

As the sun set, we could see the blazing red and yellow sky and then a great ball of fire descending. Other boats passed, making a perfect photo. Birds flew across the darkening sky. Then we returned to the bright lights of Key West and left the catamaran on the dock.

The drama is more subtle at the SUN SUN CAFÉ AT CASA MARINA. It is directly south from the Key West Seaport, just next to Higgs Beach and across from the six free public tennis courts. (Hard courts. No reservations required.) A great place to go after the match!

Minimalist glass-covered tables are set out on a flecked beige patio. We chose one under a white sun umbrella and looked out at palms and the sea. White hammocks were hanging between some palms. The sounds of the sea were accompanied by low country and West Indian music. Occasionally birds swooped onto the dock jutting into the sea. The restaurant had cleverly stretched a cord between palms to prevent the birds from reaching the café.

We arrived just before 11am, which is the time Sun Sun opens for drinks. The kitchen opens for lunch at 11:30. So we started with the café’s specialty drinks. I had the amazing Casa Key Lime Colada. It’s created from Parrot Bay Key Lime Rum and Keke Key Lime Liquor. It had the rich tart flavor of key lime pie, and the barmaid joked, quite correctly, that it was “key lime pie in a cup.”

My companion had a mango vodka drink made with Stoli vodka, Monin Mango Puree, and fresh lemonade. It had a refreshing orangey, lemony taste. We agreed that I had made the better choice! In fact, Sun Sun is worth a visit for the Casa Key Lime Colada alone.

For lunch, I ordered crispy coconut lobster on mesclun. The lobster was fried in coconut batter set off by a mango salsa, roasted corn and jicama slaw, cilantro, cucumber, tomato, and key lime dressing. Jicama is a local spicy fruit. It was enough for two. My companion ordered a succulent rare hamburger. Not usually my choice, but this was delicious!

We lingered a while, not wanting to leave the Sun Sun’s deliciously calming mood and view.

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