https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9POrnc_tFPo Deejay Young, a Tampa native and touring cast member of Hamilton at The Straz this past season, sent three chairs turning on NBC’s The Voice Monday night with his falsetto rendition of Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work.” Judges John Legend and Gwen Stefani hit their red buttons less than 20 seconds into Deejay’s performance,... Continue Reading →
George Takei is arguably best known for his role as Mr. Sulu, helmsman of the Starship Enterprise, on Star Trek, a short-lived TV series that became a cultural institution. He reprised the role in a half dozen Star Trek movies and became a frequent guest at Star Trek conventions. As an original cast member, he’s... Continue Reading →
We love live theater. Well, we would, wouldn’t we? Live theater is the biggest part of why The Straz exists in the first place. We believe that the potential for transcendence is greatest when the audience and the performance are under the same roof. We are also realists. We know that there are countless situations... Continue Reading →
Since emerging in 1980 with his Obie-award winning FOB, David Henry Hwang has established himself as one of contemporary theater’s major voices. A Tony®-winning three-time Pulitzer finalist, Hwang is a major force in the representation of Asian-Americans in theater. Many Asian-American theater professionals credit his work and success with inspiring them to pursue performing arts... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW2weVPToec Imelda Marcos turned 94 on July 2. The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that the country’s former first lady was feted with “a night of singing, dancing, and socializing.” The article did not reveal whether the birthday girl cut a rug, nor did it mention if the evening’s musical soundtrack included the thumping disco beat... Continue Reading →
The audiences attending the upcoming Patel Conservatory productions of The Little Mermaid Jr. likely will include many youngsters already familiar with the story, either from Hans Christian Andersen’s book or from the beloved 1989 animated Disney film. Disney’s had a good deal of success with stage adaptations of hit animated films such as Mermaid and... 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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Wicked will finally appear on the big screen on Christmas day 2024. That’s about 12 years after the film was said to be “in development,” 20 years after the musical’s Broadway premiere and 29 years since Gregory Maguire published Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the novel from whence... Continue Reading →
Before you paint the town and see CHICAGO at The Straz, check out these fun facts and all that jazz about the long-running musical. CHICAGO is the longest-running American musical in Broadway and West End history. The Ambassador Theatre in New York City has been home to CHICAGO since 2003. CHICAGO is the second longest... Continue Reading →
All they wanted was a play that had a role for each of them. The play they created has been running for more than 40 years. It’s probably being staged even as you read these words. It’s an interactive-whodunit-murder mystery-comedy that was first produced before anyone used the word “interactive” to describe a theatrical experience.... Continue Reading →
The ‘new’ Straz is designed to have something for everyone The Straz’s expansion project will do more than give the performing arts center a bold new appearance. The philosophy behind the project sets The Straz’s direction – outward. Key concept artwork for the redesigned Straz Center campus. The $100 million project is designed to open... Continue Reading →
Countless venues, parties and events scheduled for the evening of Dec. 31 will insist that theirs is “the place to be” this New Year’s Eve. It’s all wishful thinking, no matter how much elaborate planning has gone into them. Way too many variables when humans are involved. Besides, one person’s THE place to be is... Continue Reading →
AN EXCLUSIVE FROM INSIDE, THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE STRAZ CENTER Yana Perrault’s career is soaring. Yana may be soaring herself, soon. She’s been picked to play the coolest Powerpuff Girl, Buttercup, in Powerpuff, a live action reboot of the ‘90s animated favorite. She’ll be at The Straz Dec. 28 through Jan. 22, holding down... Continue Reading →