june 5
New York Philharmonic: Music director Kurt Masur makes his Miami debut as he conducts the legendary New York Philharmonic tonight at 8:00 p.m. at the Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts (1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). The orchestra comes to South Florida for the first time in seventeen years as part of a world tour. The evening's program features the overtures to Wagner's Die Meistersinger and Tannhauser, and Bruckner's Symphony no. 3. Tickets range from $30 to $80. Call 673-7300. (GC)
The Pool: Local rock band Maria hosts a series of Thursday-night concerts in June billed as "The Pool," showcasing a number of South Florida's top bands at Rose's Bar & Music Lounge (754 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). Tonight's show offers an acoustic performance by Derek Cintron, plus an electric set by Endo. Shows continue June 12 with Brian Franklin and Al's Not Well, June 19 with Love Canal and Sixo, and June 26 with the Inside and the Underbellys. Every evening will feature surprise guest performances and jam sessions. Admission each night is five dollars. Showtime is 10:00 p.m. Call 532-0228. (GC)
Summer Shorts '97: City Theatre presents its second annual one-act play festival at the University of Miami's Jerry Herman Ring Theatre (1380 Miller Dr., Coral Gables), with fifteen new works (presented in two programs). The plays, all either Florida- or world-premiere works chosen from more than 500 submissions, range from about two to fifteen minutes in length. The festival runs through June 29. Program A will be presented every Thursday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 5:30 p.m., and Sunday at 7:00 p.m.; program B will be presented every Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Each program runs about ninety minutes, and the early Saturday and Sunday presentations have a picnic-dinner option. Tickets range from $15 to $36. In addition to the plays, this year's festival presents a free Wednesday-night play-reading series beginning at 7:30 p.m. Call 284-3605. (GC)
Brazilian Film Festival: The first Brazilian Film Festival of Miami continues to roll tonight at 8:00 p.m. at the Bill Cosford Cinema (University of Miami, off Campo Sano Drive, Coral Gables) with Carla Camurati's Carlota Joaquina Princesa do Brasil. Screenings continue through Sunday; highlights include Fabio Barreto's O Quatrilho (which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film in 1996) on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. The public is invited to a free festival wrap party and awards ceremony on Sunday after the last film, Terra Estrangeira (Foreign Land), which begins at 8:00 p.m. Admission to each screening is five dollars, three for students. See our "Calendar Listings" for a complete schedule, or call 860-2940. (GC)
International Hispanic Theatre Festival: The International Hispanic Theatre Festival continues at Teatro Avante (235 Alcazar Ave., Coral Gables; all performances are here unless otherwise noted) tonight at 8:30 p.m. as Paraguay's Centro de Investigacion y Divulgacion Teatral performs Agustin Nœnez's Amar Go. Concurrently at Miami-Dade Community College's Wolfson campus auditorium (300 NE Second Ave.), local troupe Prometeo presents a free performance of Robert Arlt's Fiesta de Mascaras. Spain's Teatro Meridional's presents Julio Salvatierra's Romeo, tomorrow and Saturday at 8:30, with a 3:00 p.m matinee Saturday. On Sunday at 5:00 p.m. at MDCC Wolfson campus, the festival celebrates International Children's Day with a free performance of Viaje al Centro de la Tierra. On Monday at 8:30 p.m., the State University of New York at Buffalo presents Leandro Soto's nonverbal piece E-Motions. Then Tuesday and Wednesday at 8:30 p.m., Mexico's Producciones Arte Nuevo offers Hugo Hiriart's La Caja. Admission to each performance is $15. See our "Calendar Listings" for more lectures and play information, or call 445-8877. (GC)
friday
june 6
Freddick Bratcher and Company: One of South Florida's leading modern dance companies takes over the Colony Theater (1040 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach) to perform its 1996-97 season finale concert series tonight and tomorrow night at 8:00 and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. The program features two world-premiere pieces -- Gerard Ebitz's Old Music and Bratcher's Co-op -- as well as Grandma's Hands, Any Which Way You Can, Cyclematic Psycho, Low Speed Thing, and Gina Buntz's Remanence, all from the company's repertoire. Concert tickets cost $19; admission to both tonight's concert and Bratcher's postconcert 50th birthday celebration at Britto Central (818 Lincoln Rd.) start at $50. Call 674-1026. (GC)
Royal Poinciana Fiesta: Those flame-color flowers are brightening up Miami once again, so it's time for the 60th annual Royal Poinciana Fiesta. Festivities kick off today at noon at Monty's (2550 S. Bayshore Dr., Coconut Grove) with the crowning of the Royal Poinciana queen and her court and a lecture about the trees by horticulturist Larry Schokman. Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. at the Miami Museum of Science (3280 S. Miami Ave.), festivities continue with a workshop that covers the history, culture, and care of these trees. Following the lecture is "A Taste of the Tropics," a celebration of tropical summer fruit, at 2:00 p.m., and a jazz concert at the museum's Science Park at 6:00 p.m. On Sunday at 2:00 p.m., view these beautiful trees up close with a bus tour of the city, departing from the Vizcaya Metrorail station (across the street from the museum on South Dixie Highway). The tour costs $15. Later the museum hosts the third annual Royal Poinciana Block Party at 4:00 p.m. Monday a reception for the festival's annual art show takes place at the Miami Herald building (1 Herald Plaza) at 5:00 p.m. The exhibition remains on view through June 30. Admission to all events is free. Call 789-7608. (GC)
Summer Shorts '97: See Thursday.
Brazilian Film Festival: See Thursday.
International Hispanic Theatre Festival: See Thursday.
saturday
june 7
Feast Among the Grapes: The Diabetes Research Institute hosts its annual food and wine festival tonight at the Miami Beach Convention Center, hall D (1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach). For the low, low price of $50, you can partake of delicious food from more than twenty restaurants, including Amber Bistro, the Capital Grille, Giacosa, Pacific Heights, and Savannah. Also featured are domestic and imported wines, microbrewed beers, silent and live auctions, and the music of Gary King and the Dream. All proceeds benefit the University of Miami's efforts to find a cure for diabetes. Admission is limited to the first 1000 people, so call 800-321-3437 to reserve your place. (JO)
Summer Shorts '97: See Thursday.
Brazilian Film Festival: See Thursday.
International Hispanic Theatre Festival: See Thursday.
Freddick Bratcher and Company: See Friday.
Royal Poinciana Fiesta: See Friday.
sunday
june 8
Erasure: British dance-music darlings Andy Bell and Vince Clarke are taking the concept behind their latest release, Cowboy, to the hilt on their current tour, which makes a stop tonight at the Cameo Theatre (1445 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). The stage will be decked out like a dude ranch (and anyone who's been to an Erasure show knows there are bound to be many cute little cowboys in the crowd!), with the outrageous and charismatic Bell decking himself out as a gender-bending, leather-clad hombre and a cactus(!). Expect rollicking renditions of old hits like "Chains of Love" and "Oh! L'Amour." Tickets cost $20. Doors open at 9:00 p.m. Call 532-0922. (GC)
Anti-Show Dog Show: Ever watch the Westminster Kennel Club dog show on ESPN2? People spend thousands of dollars grooming their poodles, training their chihuahuas not to yap at judges, and making sure their Yorkies stay still long enough to have every inch of their bodies scrutinized and criticized. It's insane. These are dogs, folks. Dogs should know how to wag their tails, bark their heads off at anybody in uniform for no apparent reason, and maybe know how to open the refrigerator and get you a beer. That's it. Anybody who agrees can join the folks from Books & Books (933 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach) and the Dog Bar (630-G Lincoln Rd.), on the mall between both locations, for the first Anti-Show Dog Show. Your pet doesn't have to be of pure lineage, it doesn't have to do any tricks that are contrary to canine nature, and it most certainly does not need to be groomed. Points will be awarded for perkiness and personality, though. The show starts at 5:00 p.m.; participation is free. Call 532-3222. (JO)
Summer Shorts '97: See Thursday.
Brazilian Film Festival: See Thursday.
International Hispanic Theatre Festival: See Thursday.
Freddick Bratcher and Company: See Friday.
Royal Poinciana Fiesta: See Friday.
monday
june 9
Sea Turtle Viewings: If the weather permits and the turtles cooperate, this will be one of those wonderful, life-altering experiences. Stroll along a one-and-a-half-mile stretch of Fort Lauderdale beach, then view nesting loggerhead sea turtles. Even more life-altering is seeing the baby turtles emerge from their eggs and drag themselves into the sea, but you'll have to come back in a few months for that. Turtlephiles can meet tonight at 9:00 p.m. at the Museum of Discovery and Science (401 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale). Admission is eight dollars. Call 954-467-6637 for more information. (GC)
International Hispanic Theatre Festival: See Thursday.
Royal Poinciana Fiesta: See Friday.
tuesday
june 10
Guernika: The New Theater (65 Almeria Ave., Coral Gables) continues its second annual New Plays Project with the recently formed Potlatch Theatre Lab performing the world premiere of the original work Guernika. The multimedia performance piece, inspired by Picasso's painting of the same title, fuses music, art, dance, theater, and poetry as it examines the effects of the 1937 Nazi bombing of the undefended Basque city. Tickets cost $10 and $15. Performances run tonight through Thursday, June 12, at 7:30 p.m., and Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 14, at 8:00 p.m., with 3:00 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday, June 14 and 15. Call 445-5300. (GC)
International Hispanic Theatre Festival: See Thursday.
Royal Poinciana Fiesta: See Friday.
wednesday
june 11
Tina Turner/Cyndi Lauper: A strong and feminine bill straight out of an early MTV addict's fantasies rocks the Coral Sky Amphitheatre (601 Sansbury Way, West Palm Beach) tonight at 7:30 p.m. With a little-girl voice, quirky songwriting, and rainbow hair, Cyndi Lauper ruled in 1983 with her Grammy Award-winning hit album She's So Unusual (which yielded four Top 5 singles -- a record at the time for a woman). A string of uneven releases followed, but at age 44 Lauper continues to write and rock. Incidentally, that's about the age Tina Turner was when she released her Grammy Award-winning hit comeback album Private Dancer in 1984. In the thirteen years since, Turner has produced a number of solid releases, including her latest, Wildest Dreams. Turner can still strut on-stage with guts and gusto like she did back when she and Ike were the hottest live act around. Tickets cost $17.75. Call 561-795-8883. (GC)
Dave Barry: Alleged humorist Dave Barry has just released his latest book, Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs. Too bad it's not called Dave Barry's Book of Bad Jokes -- but then again, he might want to save that title for his complete works. But seriously, this new book is the result of Barry's Bad Song Survey, itself a result of a column Barry wrote years ago in which he complained about -- what else? -- songs he considers bad (focusing mostly on the work of Neil Diamond). Barry got such an extraordinary response from his readers that he decided to cash in on what they have to say. Tonight at 8:00 p.m. Books & Books hosts an evening with Barry at the Coral Gables Congregational Church (3010 DeSoto Blvd., Coral Gables). Admission is free. Call 442-4408. (GC)
Summer Shorts '97: See Thursday.
International Hispanic Theatre Festival: See Thursday.
Royal Poinciana Fiesta: See Friday.
Guernika: See Tuesday.
