Through Halloween and the spooky season, the performing arts come alive with all things supernatural. From haunted productions to ballet performances inspired by ghostly tales, Halloween has found its place across different mediums of artistic expression. Here's how this eerie season takes center stage in the performing arts and beyond. 1. Musical Theater: Spooky Songs... 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 →
Shinichi Suzuki noticed something so obvious he’d never noticed it before: All Japanese children spoke Japanese. This revelation led to a revolution in music education. At the Patel Conservatory, Suzuki violin has been the entry point to learning music for a great number of students, many of whom continue their progress in Patel programs. It’s... Continue Reading →
National Dance Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of September, as is Batman Day. What’s the connection? The Batusi, obviously: https://youtu.be/LFHY0NBsoNU?si=vVwyRSpyWFvT_S0M And doesn’t this wrap those two up with a little Bat-bow on top? But since we’ve already written about Batman Day, let’s focus on the feet. National Dance Day was established in 2010... Continue Reading →
The first Batman Day was celebrated July 24, 2014, a little more than a year after the first Superman Day, because you know how those boys get. Now it’s celebrated on the third Saturday of September. This year that’s Sept. 21, which means Batman Day celebrants will have an answer when Earth, Wind & Fire... Continue Reading →
We’re in the middle of a contentious presidential race, exacerbating the already deep divisions in our electorate. Jobsite’s production of POTUS, then, will remind audiences that there’s at least one thing the left and right can agree on: government and politics are still comedy gold mines. Subtitled Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying... Continue Reading →
Several factors influenced Matthew Wolf’s decision to join the Straz as its new chief operating officer. COO Matthew Wolf. Photo by Jeremy Daniel. There’s the Straz’s reputation as both an entertainment and an educational facility, and the potential to grow both of those operations. There’s the city of Tampa itself, expanding economically and culturally, creating... Continue Reading →
Well before the play’s first murder, Lady Macbeth establishes her place among Shakespeare’s most treacherous characters with this invocation: Come, you spiritsThat tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,And fill me from the crown to the toe top-fullOf direst cruelty. Make thick my blood.Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse,That no compunctious visitings of... Continue Reading →
National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Jackson recently visited The Straz, learning about Straz Salutes, The Straz’s multifaceted military outreach program. As one of 11 charter Creative Forces® community network organizations, the Straz Salutes program has served Tampa Bay’s military community since 2017. Funding for the program initially was supported by grants from the... Continue Reading →
Competition was baked into hip-hop from the start. Rap battles tested an MC’s rhymes and flow. DJs and writers (graffiti artists) duked it out using turntables and spray paint, respectively. Breaking, hip-hop’s fourth element, went global in the ‘90s, spawning competitions on five continents. The finest from those battles will be among the b-boys and... Continue Reading →
Judging from the flow of school-age dancers, musicians and thespians who keep our Patel Conservatory lively, one might surmise that it exclusively serves younger aspiring performers. Patel also has plenty of classes, workshops and lessons for adults in dance, theater and music. “We believe it’s important to offer classes for all ages and all skills... Continue Reading →
This was a union conceived on broadcast television, nurtured in the overheated, micro-obsessional womb of the internet and born, finally, on a London stage Wednesday, 10 July, this year of twenty and twenty-four: Cypress Hill with the London Symphony Orchestra. Because the internet continues to be overheated and micro-obsessional, fans of Cypress Hill, the LSO... Continue Reading →
A group of young Patel Conservatory performers is ready to transform TECO Theater into one of the most famous swamps on screen or stage. Middle school-aged actors will take the stage as Fiona, Donkey, Farquaad and our favorite ogre to present Shrek the Musical Jr. Based on the Broadway musical (and the film on which... Continue Reading →
Starring in Jobsite’s production of The Rocky Horror Show has extra significance for Clay Christopher. He’ll be stepping into a role originated by one of his favorite actors, Tim Curry. “I am a huge, huge Tim Curry fan,” Clay said, “his artistry, his films, his work, just him.” Clay became a fan of Curry’s for... Continue Reading →
It’s not true that Chief Operating Officer Lorrin Shepard has been at The Straz so long the center was built around him. Just part of it. Lorrin may not have been here for The Straz’s 1987 opening but he’s been here since 1990. If he hasn’t seen it all, he’s seen more than anyone else.... 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 →