It will come to no surprise that Broadway and opera are represented on the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, which preserves recordings that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States.” The original cast albums of Oklahoma!, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, The Wiz... Continue Reading →
May and June are the months we celebrate parents, honoring them with holidays where we express gratitude for their sage advice and life lessons that put us on the right life track. As art imitates life, the Broadway stage offers many moms and dads, or otherwise parental types, offering life lessons, encouragement and guidance. We’re... Continue Reading →
Many Broadway productions are original, mainlined to the stage direct from the mind and writing implement of choice of the playwright. Many more are based on novels that landed on best seller lists having caught the attention of multiple readers including playwrights who condense the tome to its vital plot points weaving a tale that... Continue Reading →
Theater has long been the home to acting dynasties, families that pass the drama and comedic genes from generation to generation with The Barrymores and The Redgraves being among the most prominent on the stage. This week, we’re focusing on one twig of Broadway’s family tree -- acting siblings --in honor of National Siblings Day... Continue Reading →
For many, the only relationship they have with August Wilson is through movies based on his plays: The Piano Lesson, Oscar®-winning Fences and most recently Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, starring Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman, both nominated for Academy Awards® in their roles. Those movies are just a slice of the breadth of... Continue Reading →
With its roots in ancient culture, including ivory and clay figures found in Egyptian tombs, puppetry has long been employed in storytelling including the theater. Terracotta Ancient Greek dolls. Exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Room 56. Picture by Giovanni Dall'Orto, November 11 2009. Both Aristotle and Plato in ancient Greece, referenced puppets in their... Continue Reading →
As if the job they have didn’t draw enough attention, presidents of the United States have been in the spotlight on Broadway in both plays and musicals. And yes, more than a few of the actors-in-chief have broken into song or tripped the light fantastic on Broadway boards. There have been a few fictional presidents... Continue Reading →
Somewhere between Mariah Carey and Wham! on your holiday playlist are likely a few tunes that have their roots in Broadway. Whether it’s shows devoted to celebrating the season, such as A Christmas Story, or others where Christmas is just part of the story as in Meet Me in St. Louis, we’ve got a rundown of some of the shows that featured favorite holiday... Continue Reading →
The Dog has Bitten. The Bee has Stung. As 2020 finally comes to a close, Caught in the Act offers up Holiday gift ideas inspired by the Broadway showtune and unconventional Christmas classic Here’s a query: Why is the song “My Favorite Things” -- from the Broadway show The Sound of Music and its subsequent movie adaptation – so closely associated with Christmas? ... Continue Reading →
If you consult your online dictionary for the definition of “turkey” you will find -- tur·key /ˈtərkē/ a large mainly domesticated game bird native to North America, having a bald head and (in the male) red wattles. It is prized as food, especially on festive occasions such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.something that is extremely or... Continue Reading →
Oh, the drama of Halloween, this year made a cauldron more scary with COVID-19 hanging around on our doorstep like a rotting Florida pumpkin overstaying its welcome. Long before the pandemic wreaked havoc with our psyche, Broadway had tapped into the spookiness and magic the holiday has to offer. Here’s a selection of the best... Continue Reading →
It wasn’t surprising but certainly disappointing when it was announced late last month that Broadway would remain closed the remainder of the year due to COVID-19. Theaters closed on March 12 – the first time Broadway has shut down due to a health pandemic. The ripple effect of going dark registered at The Straz as... Continue Reading →
In a recent post we discussed recording artists, such as Bruce Springsteen and David Byrne, making their mark on Broadway, but many more have weaved musical magic from behind the scenes. And a few have even popped in to play roles or have brief cameos in shows they’ve composed. Whether it is Sting, Cyndi Lauper... Continue Reading →
All the press of late about recording stars on Broadway has been about Bruce Springsteen and David Byrne -- and for good reason. Those two shows energized audiences and possibly brought to the Great White Way an audience who might never have thought to touch foot in a Broadway theater. But Springsteen and Byrne were... Continue Reading →
The Straz Center’s Broadway investments return Tony Award®-winning shows to our stages and keep new shows in the works. The Straz Center isn’t just a tour stop for big Broadway show-stoppers. Most of the time, we’ve been on the ground floor as a producer, investing in the show and banking on its success. Every year,... Continue Reading →
With performing art centers, such as The Straz, temporarily shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cable networks and streaming services are tapping into a large bank of available documentaries centered on the performing arts so we can satisfy our appetite for theater, dance, opera and more. And though documentaries generally don’t bring in Marvel box... Continue Reading →
Editor’s Note: Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, its Straz run rescheduled due to the COVID-19 crisis from May 5-10, 2020 to July 13-18, 2021, was to be featured in the Straz Center’s publications this month. The article features Tampa DJ Ann Kelly of WDUV-105 FM, who accompanied The Straz team last year to preview the... Continue Reading →
Theater is about telling stories, and it’s hard to tell a story that doesn’t have a mother involved in some way. After all, they’re how we come into this world and can often greatly affect the outcome of our lives, directly or indirectly, which is why they make such great characters in musicals. Broadway has... Continue Reading →
The essential guide to cult classic catch phrases This week, Caught in the Act welcomes guest blogger Alex Stewart, media relations manager for The Straz and a big fan of the Mean Girls movie. Our resident subject matter expert on the most memorable lines from the film, Alex agreed to take us through this Mean... Continue Reading →
The Straz Center’s self-serve candy station in Morsani Hall is a year-round Halloween dream come true. No tricks here. It’s just all candy all the time, and we love it. Each year, we buy about 2,100 pounds of candy. That much candy is roughly the weight of two full-sized grand pianos. Each month, our guests... Continue Reading →