Some are born to puppeteer. Some have puppeteering thrust upon them. Spencer Meyers falls into the latter category. Spencer Meyers, group sales manager at Straz Center. After Spencer successfully manipulated not one but two puppets – including the lead – in 2002’s Straz production of Avenue Q, Jobsite Theater’s Producing Artistic Director David Jenkins tapped... Continue Reading →
An Exclusive from INSIDE Magazine Lucas Hallauer is a self-declared “theater kid” portraying Marty McFly in Back to the Future: The Musical as he and the famed time-traveling DeLorean land at Straz Center April 29-May 4. We didn’t ask what he’d feed the Flux Capacitor, but we did inquire what was in his fridge and... Continue Reading →
Sure. After all, that’s what theBlog is about. See? April 17 is International Haiku Poetry Day and we know what you’re thinking: A) Didn’t we just finish putting up the decorations from last Haiku Poetry Day? and B) Isn’t Haiku Poetry redundant? The answers are, of course A) Yes. Time is fleeting and B) Yes,... Continue Reading →
A GUIDE TO THE AMAZING OPENING SCENE OF DISNEY'S THE LION KING ON TOUR “Circle of Life,” The Lion King’s jaw-dropping, much-talked about opening number, introduces a menagerie of animals who stride, leap, gallop and dance across the stage. A closer look reveals the creative magic at work behind this breathtaking bit of stagecraft. LET’S... Continue Reading →
“Where it began / I can’t begin to know when,” go the first two lines of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” The where and when of the song’s subject may not matter to Neil, but the where and when of “Sweet Caroline,” matter quite a bit. https://youtu.be/ty1dwBCR6D0?si=Mj2GtZWo4vyy6HjH When was 1969. Where was Memphis, Tenn., and yes,... Continue Reading →
It’s a busy time here at the Straz, so busy we’ve had to find creative ways to get the word out about all our shows. We want to make sure you know that Jobsite is presenting another of their bloody great Shakespeare productions. Macbeth runs Jan. 15 through Feb. 9 in the Jaeb Theater. https://youtu.be/C0WYHmP4wOQ... Continue Reading →
If the outfits worn by the actresses in The Cher Show look familiar it’s because they are recreations of the sometimes outrageous costumes the actress-singer has worn throughout her career. And if those replicas look like dead ringers for the original outfits, down to the last sequin, it’s because they were re-created by the original... Continue Reading →
For its first decade or so of existence, Detroit-based record company Motown was the American Dream in excelsis. Founder Berry Gordy nurtured his small, local business into a worldwide success. Gordy was smart, resourceful and hard-working. Most importantly, he knew white kids could dig R&B just as much as the black kids. The label’s slogan,... Continue Reading →
Jack Lemmon’s most celebrated roles occurred in film – Ensign Pulver in Mister Roberts, Felix Unger in The Odd Couple and Jerry/Daphne in Some Like It Hot. The touring Broadway musical of Some Like It Hot will be presented at the Straz Dec. 10-15. Broadway musical Some Like It Hot, sponsored by Bank of America... Continue Reading →
Ariana Grande added “proofreader’ to her list of credits recently. The actress spotted an error in the captioning of the video for “Popular,” from the upcoming film Wicked, in which she stars. The video used the word “poise” in place of the correct “ploys,” which Grande called out in the comments section. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENkfNb1I0jc&pp=ygUOcG9wdWxhciB3aWNrZWQ%3D This was more than an... Continue Reading →
The Wiz was a Broadway smash, a retelling of The Wizard of Oz with an African-American cast and P.O.V. It had a four-year run, won a shelf-full of Tonys® and introduced the world to Stephanie Mills. https://youtu.be/uR2IZ9LFyxM The film version was a dumpster fire, swapping the musical’s book for trendy psychobabble, and replacing Mills (17... Continue Reading →
Bam! Sock! Zap! Michael Uslan’s destiny was set in motion by a television show he hated. Zok! Whap! Oooof! A comic book collector since age 3 and a serious Batman fan since he was 8, Michael cringed as he watched the Caped Crusader reduced to a campy clown. Batman dispensed with the comic book’s darkness,... Continue Reading →
Cher. The sort of name that deserves its own paragraph. The original single-name superstar, she is celebrated in The Cher Show, a glitzy Broadway production that chronicles her one-of-a-kind career. (The Cher Show will be presented in Morsani Hall, Jan. 14-19). The Cher Show, which will make its appearance in Carol Morsani Hall this January.... Continue Reading →
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical will be presented at the Straz Center’s Morsani Hall Nov. 12-17. The musical draws on the children’s book, published 67 years ago on Oct. 12, and also on the 1966 animated special, which featured songs such as “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” Author Theodor “Dr.... Continue Reading →
On Sept. 29, Broadway Musicals Day will be celebrated because everything has to have a day. And why not? Broadway musicals seem more worthy of a celebration than something like National Broccoli Lovers Day or National Broccoli Haters Day, and can you imagine the bloodbath if those got scheduled on the same date? (Shudders) ... Continue Reading →
The songs and stories heard in MJ the Musical, coming to The Straz Feb. 25 - March 2, are from throughout most of Michael Jackson’s life and career. It’s set two days before the beginning of his 1992-’93 Dangerous world tour and that would not seem to be a random choice. https://youtu.be/Hxgo-Qu-ZZE By the end... Continue Reading →
For some actors, the first time’s the charm. Maleah Joi Moon won Best Actress in a Musical at the 77th Tony Awards®, joining 100 other actors who took home a Tony® for their first Broadway role. https://youtu.be/aqjVWzANA8A Maleah, who starred in Hell’s Kitchen, is in excellent company as a debut winner. Others who won Tonys®... Continue Reading →
Disney’s animated feature The Lion King had its premiere in 1994. That year, roughly 2 percent of Americans had access to the Internet. The 30th anniversary of that film’s release was celebrated in May with a pair of Hollywood Bowl concerts featuring songs from the soundtrack. In the three decades since its release, The Lion... Continue Reading →
BY CAMERON MACKINTOSH If I was to say what had happened to Les Misérables is the dream I dreamed, it would not be true – Les Mis has been a success beyond my wildest dreams. The show in 1985 that few people had booked in advance to see was coolly, if not hostilely, reviewed by... Continue Reading →
Dancers most commonly leave the profession around the age of 35. Dancer Kim Hale is 56. Do the math? There’s no math to do. Kim Hale is too old for a career as a dancer, as she’s likely been told before. Only she didn’t listen. In fact, she didn’t listen so well that she wound... Continue Reading →