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 →
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 →
Hip-hop, the “fad” that parents, teachers, government officials and close-minded rockers couldn’t wish away fast enough 40 years ago, now has its own government-sanctioned month. (Pictured above) A dramatic reenactment of the public hearing a hip-hop song for the first time. Last year, Congress designated November as National Hip-Hop History Month, a sign not only... 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 →
The term “guilty pleasure” seems as though it should refer to dark, twisted impulses, descriptions of which are best left to gothic horror writers. OG gothic horror queen Morticia knows everyone's guilty pleasures. Instead, it means we like some bit of entertainment deemed insignificant by the critics and acquaintances we’ve made our cultural overlords: a... Continue Reading →
The final Straz-produced presentation of the season is Avenue Q, and actor Spencer Meyers is going to have his hands full. Literally. Full of fabric and foam. Spencer will have his hand inside the puppet head, puppet heads, actually, of two of the musical’s characters – Princeton, a recent college graduate looking for his purpose... Continue Reading →
The art of origami might mean more than you think Photo: Ned Averill-Snell Mother Nature loves to fold. Flowers, wings, you name it. Just look at us, human beings: our brains and guts are wrinkles doubling back on themselves; proteins, the building blocks of life are intricately folded amino acids. And if those amino acids... Continue Reading →
Crowns, a celebratory musical about church hats, kicks off a series of Straz-produced shows Photo: Joseph Brown Apostle Paul was adamant about this point. When a man prays or prophesizes, his head must not be covered. Women, on the other hand … "But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her... Continue Reading →
The crowd filling Broadway’s Gershwin Theater sounded pleasantly surprised when the announcer introduced Kristin Chenoweth. The occasion was the Sept. 14 reopening of Wicked, for which Chenoweth originated the role of Glinda. The actress’ appearance sent the already electric atmosphere crackling even more intensely, palpable even on the cellphone video posted to YouTube. “Hello, New... 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 →
In 2020, anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 149 percent in 10 of the nation’s largest cities. And 58 percent of Asian Americans say they more frequently hear people express racist views about Asians since the COVID 19 outbreak. Hate crimes against Asians unfortunately have a long history in the United States, but for many the... Continue Reading →
Many Broadway productions are original, mainlined to the stage direct from the mind and writing implement of choice of the playwright. Many more are based on novels that landed on best seller lists having caught the attention of multiple readers including playwrights who condense the tome to its vital plot points weaving a tale that... Continue Reading →
David at the Straz Center Riverwalk Stage. David M. Jenkins is producing artistic director and co-founder of Jobsite. He holds a Ph.D. in communication (performance studies) from the University of South Florida, an M.F.A. in acting from the University of Florida and a B.A. in theater performance, also from USF. He has additionally studied with... Continue Reading →
Seven Wonders of the WorldSeven DwarfsSeven Deadly SinsSeven ContinentsSeven Days of CreationSeven Brides for Seven BrothersSeven SeasSeven Days a WeekSeven SistersSeven Swans a SwimmingSeven Hills of RomeSeven Words You Can’t Say on TelevisionSeven Colors of the Rainbow All sorts of things come in sevens – the good, the bad and the dwarfs. At The Straz,... Continue Reading →