FRI 10/15
In 1943, Rodgers and Hammerstein created the first people's musical, a story intended to transcend geography and time. Oklahoma! introduced a passel of tunes that everyone knows. Ray Charles breathed fresh life into "Oh What a Beautiful Morning," and jazz legends Cannonball Adderley and Miles Davis flipped the script with their versions of "Surrey With the Fringe On Top." Check out this landmark musical nightly at 8:00 until October 17th at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets range from $21 to $64. Call 954-462-0222 or visit www.browardcenter.org. -- Patrice Elizabeth Grell Yursik
Bloody Gumbo
Dracula gets a Nawlins twist
THU 10/14
Whether it's all those dark, mysterious alleyways or the ornate French architecture, there's something about New Orleans that makes it a perfect setting for demons of the night. Just ask Anne Rice. Or Leroy Clark, writer and director of the play Dracula, inspired by Bram Stoker's classic novel. The story and characters are essentially the same, just now with a little Big Easy voodoo, drumming, and a dash of Mardi Gras mystery of course, all wrapped up in Kreyol culture with its French, Spanish, and African influences. Clark's version sets out to examine fear in all its modern guises, from terrorism to horror to the personal Dracula that follows each of us. The play starts at 8:00 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2:00 p.m. Sunday, October 14-21, at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center, Florida International University's south campus, SW 107th Ave. and Eighth St. Tickets cost $10. Call 305-348-3789. -- John Anderson
Boisterous Bellamy
THU 10/14
Any graduate knows that one is likely to change college majors several times. But when Rutgers student Bill Bellamy tried to tickle the judges' funny bones as a male beauty pageant contestant, the lad had no clue he was stumbling into his future. Bellamy, who entered comedy as a lark, recently wrapped filming Getting Played, an indie romantic comedy costarring Vivica A. Fox, Carmen Electra, and Stacy Dash, a far cry from his days in the bikini segment of the Mr. Collegiate showcase. His springboard to fame was hosting MTV Jamz, where his five years of nuanced street corner culture and locker room philosophy led to several movie roles and headlining gigs in top comedy clubs across America. Tonight until Sunday the 17th, Bellamy brings his standup routine to the Miami Improv, 3990 Mary St., #182, Coconut Grove. Tickets range from $20 to $25. Call 305-441-8200. -- Carlos Suarez De Jesus
