Maybe it’s all those years of playing a wizard but Daniel Radcliffe has pulled off something close to magical. He became the cinematic face of one of literature’s most beloved characters and came out the other side with his career and sanity intact. Radcliffe, 34, currently stars on Broadway in the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s... Continue Reading →
Dancers most commonly leave the profession around the age of 35. Dancer Kim Hale is 56. Do the math? There’s no math to do. Kim Hale is too old for a career as a dancer, as she’s likely been told before. Only she didn’t listen. In fact, she didn’t listen so well that she wound... Continue Reading →
There’s only one opportunity to make a first impression. The Patel Conservatory makes an indelible one. Passersby who glance at Patel’s front doors may not know what goes on behind them. But they could probably guess based on the 5-foot tall treble clef that serves as door handles. The frieze that runs across both doors... Continue Reading →
Clue, the 1985 film based on the board game, was not a smash hit upon release. Over time, thanks to cable, home video and word of mouth, the quirky black comedy finally found its audience. Its acclaim grew enough for it to make the jump from screen to stage as CLUE, which Straz audiences can... Continue Reading →
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. If a scorned woman dies of heartbreak, you better hope you aren’t the one who broke it. Your ex might be teaming up with the malevolent spirits of other jilted women and, brother, hell WILL be raised. That’s a very skeletal reading of Giselle, one of classical... Continue Reading →
It’s a sound that immediately brings to mind Oktoberfest, or at least Polka Night at the Elks’ Lodge. It’s two sounds, actually – one deep and low, the other notably higher. The latter tone is pah, the response to the former, which is oom. As each yang has its corresponding yen, every pah shares an... Continue Reading →
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 →
In the realm of comedy, there are icons whose brilliance transcends generations, leaving their marks on the hearts and minds of audiences worldwide. Robin Williams, the definitive master of improvisation, stands tall among these legends. From his early days in stand-up, as Mork from Ork in the TV show Mork & Mindy to his unforgettable... 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 →
Jack Hopewell and the company of the North American Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar. Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade. Since its 1971 Broadway premiere, Jesus Christ Superstar has been a Norman Jewison-directed feature film, been staged for live television with John Legend and Alice Cooper in the cast; and been revived, reprised and performed... 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 →
David Crosby’s passing last year ended any chance — slim though it was — of a Crosby, Stills and Nash reunion. Fans craving the live CS&N experience will enjoy Southern Cross, a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young tribute band, performing in the Jaeb Theater March 1. https://videopress.com/v/02Yr3VdB?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true (It should be mentioned — and it always... Continue Reading →
Roz Parks does most of her work behind the scenes at The Straz. As an employee of National Building Maintenance, a commercial cleaning and maintenance company, she has worked as a subcontractor at the performing arts center for 15 years maintaining the restrooms and common areas in Morsani Hall. She also manages a staff of... Continue Reading →
Singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman became the first Black songwriter to win the Song of the Year award at November’s Country Music Association Awards. Luke Combs recorded a cover of Chapman’s 1988 hit, “Fast Car,” that reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=909454330552215&set=pb.100044629680315.-2207520000&type=3 Chapman said she never expected to see her name on the... Continue Reading →
By David Cote Christian Douglas and Gabrielle McClinton in the North American tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade In its epoch-hopping score and dazzling visuals, the Tony®-winning Moulin Rouge! The Musical represents the missing link from Belle Époque Paris to Broadway today, from operetta to the modern musical. More... Continue Reading →
On Feb. 3, 1959, a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza flying in low visibility crashed north of Clear Lake, Iowa. All four aboard were killed: pilot Roger Peterson and rock & rollers Buddy Holly, 22; The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson Jr.), 28; and Ritchie Valens (Richard Valenzuela), 17. The three were stars of the Winter Dance Party... Continue Reading →
The Mothership has landed at 6752 Hollywood Boulevard. That’s where George Clinton, the original Star Child, got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, Jan. 19. Clinton, as every schoolchild should know, is the overlord of the Parliafunkadelicment Thang, a collective of funk outfits such as Parliament, Funkadelic, Bootsy’s Rubber Band and Brides... Continue Reading →