It’s good that Aaron Castle likes Christmas music. The Tampa Bay Area actor is in the cast of the Straz-produced Plaid Tidings, the holiday-themed sequel to Forever Paid, and will be hearing, and singing, a set full of holiday tunes many, many times between now and Christmas. The cast of Plaid Tidings performing on stage... Continue Reading →
“What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" Groundbreaking playwright Lorraine Hansberry drew the title of her most famous work – A Raisin in the Sun – from the powerful poem Harlem, written by Langston Hughes about the promise of freedom in the Emancipation Proclamation remaining a... Continue Reading →
Caught in the Act celebrates Tina who last week, on Nov. 26, 2022, celebrated her 83rd birthday. When Tina Turner’s solo star finally ascended with the 1984 hit “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” it felt like a victory for anyone who had been hurt or held back in pursuit of a dream. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGpFcHTxjZs... Continue Reading →
AN EXCLUSIVE FROM INSIDE, THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE STRAZ CENTER James Lafayette wanted to play the bass – the double bass, to be precise. The instrument, though, was a bit too large for the preteen. The cello’s size, however, was just right. But he wanted to play bass. James Lafayette (pictured above) playing the... Continue Reading →
If Anais Mitchell chronicles her journey from indie-folk artist to Tony-award winning playwright and composer, she might call it How to Get to Broadway in 15 Grueling, Setback-Filled Years. Mitchell’s work places Greek mythological figures Orpheus and Eurydice in a dystopian world where the lure of stability draws desperate souls to the grim, cruel factory... Continue Reading →
Dirty Dancing was the little movie that could. Made for $5 million, Dirty Dancing grossed more than $200 million worldwide. Released on VHS early in 1988, it became the first movie to sell a million copies. Everyone remembers VHS's right? . . . Anyone? . . . okay, we'll see ourselves out. The movie also... Continue Reading →
The Straz Center’s resident mixologist draws inspiration from the shows in our Broadway series lineup, concocting one-of-a-kind signature highballs to salute and celebrate each production. When the Broadway production plays the Straz Center, the performers onstage aren’t the only ones flexing their talents. Out in the lobby behind the bar, the creative handiwork of Straz... Continue Reading →
Wicked, the phenomenally popular musical about the witches of Oz, returns to The Straz March 8-26. Tickets go on sale, appropriately, on Halloween. Premiering in 2003, Wicked has become one of the longest-running productions in Broadway history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wU3Mw_0rt8 However, those Wicked witches might be getting some company. Elphaba and Glinda will have to make room... Continue Reading →
The Asiatic Black Bear has the longest average lifespan of any bear species. They live between 25-30 years in the wild, more than 40 years in captivity. However, one bear, the only one of his species that we know of, has lived an amazing 96 years. The species, of course, is Pooh Bear, and its... Continue Reading →
The final episodes of Better Call Saul on AMC offered their share of surprises but perhaps none more enjoyable than the appearance of Carol Burnett. The veteran comedienne played Marion, the mother of a small-time hood recruited by our title character for a few heists. Initially charmed by smooth-talking Saul, Marion gradually realizes he isn’t... Continue Reading →
As the year 2020 began, anticipation for Rufus Wainwright’s upcoming album was running high. Unfollow the Rules would be Wainwright’s first album of new pop material in eight years. Fans had been clamoring for it since news of Wainwright recording with producer Mitchell Froom (Los Lobos, Elvis Costello) first surfaced in 2018. The album cover... Continue Reading →
The intellectual distance between Steve Martin’s early, catchphrase-heavy stand-up comedy and his first full-length play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile might seem great. Fear not, though, as fans of his early, funny stuff should recognize the same absurdist spirit that ran through Martin’s early routines in Picasso. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mCYzJu12zI “He used a lot of irony. He... Continue Reading →
We know how much you love The Straz, but how much do you really KNOW about the Straz, other than it’s fabulous, of course? Well, we’re going to find out. Take this quiz, awarding yourself one point for every correct answer to determine if you are a well-informed Straz patron or if you are just... Continue Reading →
After several Covid-induced months of silence, the Straz Center began a limited series of programming in October 2020, focusing on outdoor events and presentations conducive to social distancing. Guest Services Manager Deb Ferree put the call out to her roster of ushers, unsure of how many responses she’d get. After all, the facility had been... Continue Reading →
The Straz is back and we really couldn’t have picked a better month for our return. Live performances return to the stages of the Straz in October. Coincidentally, October is National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM) — an annual celebration that shines a spotlight on culture in America. Arts, humanities, culture – it’s what we... Continue Reading →
A small but mighty coterie of Straz staffers gathers the selections that make each year’s season announcement a much-anticipated event. At the start of every year, as sure as the Florida gardenias blossom, The Straz announces a new season. Every year that season blends old and new, funny and serious, musical and non-musical, spectacular and... Continue Reading →
By Walt Belcher Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, I was not aware that oral storytelling was a performance art form that I could do. I had heard of The Moth, that monthly story slam out of New York, and I knew that some authors, such as humorist David Sedaris, can... Continue Reading →
At first thought, it might seem that theater performed on the radio could be a lost art. Nowadays, we have the means to see and experience wonderful arts performances -- with our eyes as well as our ears -- in so many ways, on countless devices, that merely listening to theater on the radio could... Continue Reading →
ONE YEAR LATER: David and Catherine Straz Editor’s note: We conducted this interview at the home of David and Catherine Straz two weeks before Mr. Straz’s passing on Monday, Nov. 18, 2019. Like the Strazes themselves, the interview was heartfelt, full of laughter and a testimonial to their commitment to supporting arts and education. Below... Continue Reading →
Jobsite’s Theater’s first performance of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] on our Riverwalk Stage. (Fotoset by James Luedde) While emphasizing health and safety and mandating socially distanced seating configurations and the wearing of masks, on Friday, Oct. 2, the Straz Center cautiously and thoughtfully began a slate of live, in-person performances -- the first performances... Continue Reading →