"I Wanna Be In the Show!"

Thank God for TV syndication. Though some programs aren’t deserving of rapid and constant replays, I Love Lucy has been charming new audiences for decades since its eight-year run in the 1950s. Like any longtime show, this one had its highs and lows, but the shenanigans and sweetness of Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel keep most viewers from changing the channel to this day. Now, fans of the madcap redhead’s attempts at showbiz stardom will can see her tales revived in real, 2014 color and sound when I Love Lucy Live on Stage debuts at the Arsht Center this Tuesday. Adapted from the iconic TV show, the stage production began in the early 2000s with a traveling Lucy memorabilia exhibition. Producers saw the vast interest at every stop and in 2011 premiered a performance piece that creates an audience experience rather than a new story line. Patrons are transported into the 1952 Desilu Playhouse, where the cast is filming two episodes of I Love Lucy. Sets and music include Ricky Ricardo’s New York apartment and the Cuban sounds of the Ricky Ricardo Orchestra at the Tropicana nightclub. Between scenes, the Crystaltone Singers perform live advertising jingles of the show’s newest sponsors in ’50s-style harmony. I Love Lucy Live on Stage will run this Tuesday through October 5 at the Ziff Ballet Opera House (1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami). Tickets cost $26 to $89. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Visit arshtcenter.org or call 305-949-6722.
Tue., Sept. 30, 8 p.m.; Wed., Oct. 1, 8 p.m.; Thu., Oct. 2, 8 p.m.; Fri., Oct. 3, 8 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 4, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 5, 1 & 7 p.m., 2014