Giles Davies is a fright. Well known for his Shakespearean roles, he’s also carved out a niche – with a large, blood-stained knife, no doubt – as Jobsite’s go-to ghoul. He’s chilled audiences in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Dracula. Next, he’ll play the titular doctor in Frankenstein who discovers, as most parents do,... Continue Reading →
A performance at our Arts Legacy Remix: Hispanic Heritage Celebration in 2022. The impact and influence of Hispanic culture in Tampa is undeniable. Actually, make that Hispanic cultures, since the term Hispanic covers a lot of acreage, physically and socially. The description is applied to people from Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and... Continue Reading →
Russell Johnson was fascinated with sound. As a child, he crawled inside his church’s pipe organ to find out how it worked. By his teens he wanted to record classical music as a studio engineer. Russell Johnson, part of the original team of planners for our performing arts center in Tampa. He became a renowned... Continue Reading →
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 →
A sensation on London’s West End, The Choir of Man begins an extended stay here at The Straz on Tuesday, Oct. 3. For those who haven’t Googled it yet, The Choir of Man is a theatrical stage presentation that’s structured a bit differently than most theatrical stage presentations. It’s a play – there are characters... 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 →
“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 →
Being a “weird” kid gave Eric D’Alessandro a leg up on his career as a comedian. “When I was 11 I had a video camera, which was strange to see back then,” said D’Alessandro, who brings his stand-up act to The Straz’s Jaeb Theater Friday, July 14. “Now, every junior high kid is making... 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 →
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 →
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 →