It might seem odd, doing all the things one does to have a night out – buying tickets, hiring a babysitter, finding parking – when it’s preordained that the evening will end in tears. In some cases, though, tears are part of the package. When the curtain falls on Opera Tampa’s production of La Traviata,... Continue Reading →
A parody of Netflix’s Stranger Things isn’t just an opportunity to salute and spoof the beloved sci-fi thriller series. “It also gave us an opportunity to give fans what they might have wanted, but that didn't happen in the show,” said Nick Flatto, producer-director of Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical, playing at The Straz now... Continue Reading →
If the notion of a Bob Dylan musical doesn’t pass your particular sniff test, you’re in good company. Twyla Tharp’s 2006 Dylan dance-musical, The Times They Are a-Changin’, was a critical disaster that limped its way to Broadway, from which it disappeared in less than a month. “A Bob Dylan musical is a terrible idea,”... Continue Reading →
By David M. Jenkins In 2003 we staged our first play by London-bred Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, The Beauty Queen of Leenane. During that run, Straz Center then-CEO Judy Lisi made us an offer to become their resident theater company and effectively take over programming of the Shimberg Playhouse. Now that our residency is old... Continue Reading →
Moses Pendleton grew up on a Vermont dairy farm and exhibited Holsteins at county fairs as a youngster. MOMIX was a feed supplement Moses fed to his cows. Pendleton appropriated the supplement’s name for the dance company he founded in 1980. He founded MOMIX after almost a decade dancing with Pilobolus, the company he co-founded... Continue Reading →
When Noam Aviel began her quest for a career in music, the conductor’s podium wasn’t an end point she’d considered. Noam was a singer and jazz was her music. Classical music didn’t enter her picture until her late teens when she studied with classical singers to bolster her jazz singing skills. The teenage jazz hopeful... Continue Reading →
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Snow and gloom shouldn’t be issues but rain and heat? Hoo boy. Pictured: a typical summer day in the great state of Florida. The Patel Conservatory staff members (“these couriers”) responsible for couriering summer... Continue Reading →
Lizbeth A. Borden was a frequent theatergoer. Single and wealthy, Borden often attended performances in New York City and Boston, travelling from her home in Fall River, Mass. Ms. Borden passed in 1927. Had she lived a few years longer, she would have had the opportunity to see herself portrayed on stage. The Lizzie Borden... Continue Reading →
Warning: the following article may contain multiple versions of the same pun on the word “weird.” You’re welcome. On July 20, 1969, in a first for humanity, the preservation of society and the progress of civilization itself, mankind landed on the moon. Almost 10 years prior to that, on Oct. 23, 1959, a much more... Continue Reading →
An earnest and heartfelt original romance between two gay men set in an accepting vision of 1930s Europe? It’s more likely than you think. Everyone remembers that groundbreaking historical moment from December 1936 when then-British King Edward VIII abdicated his throne to marry an American divorcee – well, if not everyone, for sure devoted superfans... Continue Reading →
Bill Berloni estimates he has trained and shined a spotlight on nearly 400 dogs over the last 45 years. Your purebreds and your designer breeds are all well and good, but if you want the job done right – and if that job is acting – get yourself a mutt. That’s the advice of Bill... Continue Reading →
Eighty-six pages – that is how long a book needs to be to become one of the most beloved novels of all time, inspiring the imagination of millions of fans year after year. At least that is the case for Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. First published in 1865, Wonderland was an immediate... Continue Reading →
National Tap Dance Day is May 25. The date commemorates the birth of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, one of tap’s greatest practitioners. He may be best known for his stair dance routine with Shirley Temple in 1935’s The Little Colonel. But his career stretched back to vaudeville and minstrel shows and continued through Broadway, movies, radio... Continue Reading →
JAGGED LITTLE PILL is about a lot more than one woman’s anger. Alanis Morrissette was not rock’s first angry woman. We know, get the smelling salts. Leslie Gore wasn’t having it on “You Don’t Own Me," all the way back in 1963. That same year, Betty Everett told the jerk “You’re No Good,” an emotion... Continue Reading →
Crowns was one of the highlights of the Straz Center’s 2021-2022 season. Playwright Regina Taylor’s musical celebration of the proud and faithful women of the African-American church was such a hit with Straz audiences that it’s returning to the Jaeb in a new, intimate presentation. Tampa playwright-poet-stand-up comic-etc. R.M. Lawrence, better known as “ranney,” will direct... Continue Reading →
She wanted a change of scenery. Somewhere with a little more history and a bit of a reputation. A place known for great food and great wine. A city that liked – no, loved – its entertainment on the racy side. Where she could walk into a hotel and have a cup of coffee. More... Continue Reading →
His uncommon voice is at home on the Broadway stage and in the opera house. He was the most respected composer and lyricist in musical theater. And the most challenging. Stephen Sondheim was a rarity in the theatrical world, a composer who was also a lyricist. He approached both tasks with intellectual honesty and a... Continue Reading →
He made his Broadway debut at age 7. When he was 8, he was doing Ibsen. He’s acted in historical dramas and soap operas. He portrayed one of the most identifiable characters in television history. He even amassed the enormous reserves of rowdiness needed for the role of Hank Williams Jr. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzbN9Gbvbdw And now he’s... Continue Reading →
In 2022, Angelica Ross took on the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago, making her the first openly trans woman to play a lead role on Broadway. Earlier that same year, L Morgan Lee became the first openly trans woman to be nominated for a Tony® (Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical)... Continue Reading →
Celebrate International Women’s History Month with Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman,” a No. 1 hit and a fitting soundtrack for 1972, a year highlighted by milestones for the women’s movement When ‘70s hit-maker Helen Reddy passed in 2020, most obituaries reported that three of her many hits reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.... Continue Reading →