June 13 is National Sewing Machine Day and if you’re wondering what that has to do with the arts, meet Anne Rosato. Anne makes and designs costumes for a living. Straz audiences first saw her work in the recent production of Little Shop of Horrors. Like any professional, the tools of her trade are important... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg1JgHLQsg0 A charming little video clip from 1970 surfaced recently. It’s a local TV news story about a Minneapolis teachers’ strike and in it, an 11-year-old Prince Rogers Nelson voices support for the teachers. It was probably the last time Prince did an interview without his guard up. Prince wasn’t a “no interviews” guy, but... Continue Reading →
Patel Conservatory classrooms sometimes play host to Broadway actors, Grammy®-winning musicians and world-renowned dancers. These performers aren’t there to sign autographs. They’re in the classrooms and studios to share their knowledge and experience with Patel students. Guest instructor Beth Gibbs, associate professor of music and director of choral studies at Florida Southern College, leading a... Continue Reading →
When children are given musical instruments for the first time, chances are they will make godawful rackets with them. They will leap about, yell and scream, and make noises those instruments never were meant to make. They will laugh heartily, get bored and move on to the next amusement. Some of those kids, though, will... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crOyhjL2e9s Pretty Woman: The Musical celebrated the first anniversary of its premiere by adding the Roy Orbison number from which it took its name to the curtain call. That’s right – a whole year of performances were staged minus the rock ‘n’ roll classic after which the show was named. Where the movie soundtrack featured... Continue Reading →
Photo: Anna Azarov Photography Treya Lam’s album, Good News, doesn’t lack for sonic detail. Lam, though, believes those details are the icing on the cake. “I want to create works that can stand on their own in the barest form,” Lam said. “My approach to songwriting is kind of rooted in that idea. Whether it’s... Continue Reading →
Call them what you want, rags-to-riches or fairy tales – either way, My Fair Lady and Pretty Woman, both playing The Straz over the coming weeks, are contemporary variants of a familiar plot. An uptight man of particular stature brings under his wing a woman who many considered tarnished and makes her over. During the... Continue Reading →
If the face and name are familiar, that’s because Janet Dacal starred as Alice in Wonderland, the Broadway musical that had its origins at the Straz Center. She returns to our stage starring in the Tony Award®-winning The Band’s Visit, a musical about Egyptian musicians who find themselves stranded in a small Israeli town. Janet’s... Continue Reading →
Considering it’s the subject of one of his most recognizable drawings, caricaturist Al Hirschfeld was not enthusiastic about a friend’s idea. Albert "Al" Hirschfeld photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1955. Hirschfeld’s friend, theatrical director Moss Hart, wanted to produce George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion as a musical. Hirschfeld balked. “I said ‘How are you going to improve that... Continue Reading →
Jean Carlos Rodriguez “Let’s play two!” was the catchphrase of Chicago Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks. Opera occasionally schedules double-headers as well. Opera Tampa is closing its season with two one-act operas: Puccini’s comedy Gianni Schicchi and Mascagni’s tragedy Cavalleria Rusticana. Jean Carlos Rodriguez performs in both operas and he’s wondering how much time he’ll have... Continue Reading →
April is Jazz Appreciation Month and, frankly, jazz could use more appreciation. American jazz musicians are revered the world over but even the music made by recognized masters such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus is considered a niche market in the states, a genre the general public generally avoids. What little radio... Continue Reading →
The Audrey II puppet and Kevin Ryan Cole as Seymour in TheatreWorks Florida's production of Little Shop of Horrors. Scott Cook owes his career to a man-eating plant. OK, let’s back up a bit. Scott Cook owes his career to a play about a man-eating plant. Let Scott explain it: “It was the very first... Continue Reading →
Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s Tampa appearance also will serve as a homecoming for one of the company’s dancers, Tatiana Melendez. Melendez is a genuine sensation in the dance world. She was racking up dance competition awards for both contemporary and ballet before she entered her teens. She’s in her third season with the company, and its... Continue Reading →
Idina Menzel is Broadway’s contemporary Queen of the Showstoppers. With "Take Me or Leave Me" from RENT, and then with “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, Menzel turned songs into events, thrilling theater audiences and even more listeners via original cast recordings. Her most celebrated hit, though, originated in the Disney animated film Frozen. That song, “Let... Continue Reading →
Alan Cumming, Tony Award®-winner for Cabaret, comes to The Straz April 3 for an evening of song and chit-chat about a topic we all have in common, but try to avoid – AGING. Here are five fun facts about Alan Cumming: He made a successful transition from a Scottish sitcom to film in small but... Continue Reading →
College basketball enthusiasts are in a lather because it is that time of year – MARCH MADNESS. Many of your friends – or maybe even YOU – will be on pins and needles to see if this Gonzaga’s year or how far Duke’s Coach K will get in the tournament before he dribbles into retirement.... Continue Reading →
Photo: Brian Thomas Desmond Richardson is co-founder and co-artistic director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Called “one of the greatest dancers of his time” by The New York Times, Richardson danced with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as a principal dancer from 1987 to 1994 and, in 1997, joined American Ballet Theatre where he was... Continue Reading →
Jobsite Theater is returning to the Shimberg Playhouse after nearly two years and Producing Artistic Director David Jenkins sounds like a man finally heading home. “The last performance Jobsite did in the Shimberg was March 12, 2020, our preview for ‘Doubt,’” Jenkins remembers. “We were supposed to open the next night. And we got notified... Continue Reading →
If famed choreographer Bob Fosse had an “it” girl before Gwen Verdon, it was actress Carol Haney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26PiPUn4AWg After leaving an uncredited dance assistant job with Gene Kelly, Haney landed at MGM as a specialty dancer and partner to Fosse, who was playing Hortensio in the film Kiss Me Kate. The pair’s dance to “From... Continue Reading →
Prom season is in full swing here at The Straz. And Caught in the Act asked our colleagues to troll through their high school photos to find Insta-worthy poses from the big night so that we could splash them all over the inter webs. We promised not to mock them … too much. Claire Florio,... Continue Reading →