https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UKtrhLRD_k CATS returns to the Straz Center Dec. 7. As a crowd-pleasing theatrical spectacle, CATS’ success is undeniable. As a tutorial for first-time cat owners, it leaves something to be desired. Potential first-time cat owners should note that cats rarely if ever perform choreographed dance moves. Nor do they break into song. Their speech is... Continue Reading →
Anticipation is high for a Happy Thanksgiving this year. More of us will gather around a table with family and friends, spend time cooking up sides in the kitchen, play catch in the yard, volunteer in the community or just gobble, gobble up dinner in front of the TV waiting for a football game, a... Continue Reading →
We know how much you love The Straz, but how much do you really KNOW about the Straz, other than it’s fabulous, of course? Well, we’re going to find out. Take this quiz, awarding yourself one point for every correct answer to determine if you are a well-informed Straz patron or if you are just... Continue Reading →
The Straz Riverwalk Stage rises to provide a safe experience for theater-goers When The Straz, along with the world, went on its pandemic pause in March 2020, the staff went to work finding ways to continue to engage and entertain audiences. Initially, with people avoiding places where people gather, the electronic hearths of televisions, computers... Continue Reading →
The crowd filling Broadway’s Gershwin Theater sounded pleasantly surprised when the announcer introduced Kristin Chenoweth. The occasion was the Sept. 14 reopening of Wicked, for which Chenoweth originated the role of Glinda. The actress’ appearance sent the already electric atmosphere crackling even more intensely, palpable even on the cellphone video posted to YouTube. “Hello, New... Continue Reading →
After several Covid-induced months of silence, the Straz Center began a limited series of programming in October 2020, focusing on outdoor events and presentations conducive to social distancing. Guest Services Manager Deb Ferree put the call out to her roster of ushers, unsure of how many responses she’d get. After all, the facility had been... Continue Reading →
Size matters. Size, though, is about more than body mass. “I’m big. I’m as big as you get. I may be petite but I’m big.” That’s Rita Moreno, all 5’2” of her, 70 years into a career that not only isn’t stopping, it seems to be gathering momentum. * * * Moreno is one of... Continue Reading →
The Straz is back and we really couldn’t have picked a better month for our return. Live performances return to the stages of the Straz in October. Coincidentally, October is National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM) — an annual celebration that shines a spotlight on culture in America. Arts, humanities, culture – it’s what we... Continue Reading →
A small but mighty coterie of Straz staffers gathers the selections that make each year’s season announcement a much-anticipated event. At the start of every year, as sure as the Florida gardenias blossom, The Straz announces a new season. Every year that season blends old and new, funny and serious, musical and non-musical, spectacular and... Continue Reading →
Photo: Rob/Harris Productions, Inc. Theater lovers coming and going from live events enjoy the fare at the Straz Center’s homebrewed coffeehouse, SteamHeat, tucked beside the Shimberg Playhouse along the red brick walkway to Carol Morsani Hall. But how many patrons under the age of 66 understand the origin of the shop’s name, or know the... Continue Reading →
One-hit wonders are fascinating. Some are once-in-a-generation synchronizations of material and cultural climate — the music-industry equivalent of being in the right place at the right time. Others are just, you know, funny. Despite their various origins, styles and critical receptions, though, they’re all related via that one weird similarity: They are all songs attributed... Continue Reading →
Tampa has a long history tied to Latin cultures, dating back to 1539 and the arrival of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto to the Tampa Bay region. That historical tie continues more than 470 years later when the Straz Center for the Performing Arts participates in National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15... Continue Reading →
There seems to be an almost cultural fixation with firsts – first car, first kiss – who are we not to play along? Later this month, Jobsite Theater opens its season with Dr. Ride’s American Beach House, a play set on the eve of astronaut Sally Ride’s historic 1983 launch as the first American woman... Continue Reading →
As the hemlines rose, so did the footwear, the miniskirt exposing more thigh as its fashion first mate the go-go boot rose to conceal the calf. The effect was anything but modest, though. The miniskirt and go-go boot create visual shorthand for a particular time and a particular sort of person – young, female, single,... Continue Reading →
It’s not unusual to see favorite songs from Broadway productions on the pop charts. Beloved compositions have made the transition from the stage to mainstream culture’s consciousness since The Great White Way’s ‘40s and ‘50s heyday. Those looking for distinctive or quirky reinterpretations of musical-theater classics sometimes have to look a little deeper, though —... Continue Reading →
Elvis Presley performed in Tampa near the beginning of his career and near the end. On May 8, 1955, you could have seen a vibrant, 21-year-old Elvis at the Homer W. Hesterly Armory, singing “That’s All Right.” General admission was $1. https://www.instagram.com/p/CDUn9APBp4L/ Twenty-one years later you could have seen a pudgy, sweating-to-get-through-the-show, 42-year-old Elvis at... Continue Reading →
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=287904299358346&set=pb.100044163353088.-2207520000..&type=3 Nurse Blake is a one-of-a-kind entertainer who uses his experience as a nurse for a fun filled comedy event that celebrates the hard work of healthcare providers. Blake tells candid and raw stories from his time in nursing school and from his shifts at the bedside. His upbeat attitude and hilarious spins on the... Continue Reading →
Throughout the history of stage and film, friendships between characters often become larger than life They’re classic bonds of camaraderie that have endured the tests of time. From the screen to the stage, through the generations, there have been memorable character friendships that have become synonymous with the show or play in which they’re portrayed.... Continue Reading →
When you least expect it, great moments happen. This is one of those tales made that much greater because “the moment” involves Aretha Franklin. The year is 1998, the 40th Grammy® Awards at New York City’s majestic Radio City Music Hall. The evening was chockful of great performances, unexpected wins and unforeseen surprises, such as:... Continue Reading →
Ed Sullivan’s Toast of the Town. The Dean Martin Show. The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. The Bobby Darin Amusement Company. The Carol Burnett Show. Donny & Marie. The Gong Show. Hee Haw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jenWdylTtzs For a happy century, “variety” endured as one of the very few entertainment genres to survive the arc from stage to screen,... Continue Reading →
Caught in the Act 