april 29
Miami's historian in song Grant Livingston belts out tunes with a Florida theme tonight at one of Miami's oldest hot spots, the Barnacle State Historic Site (3485 Main Hwy., Coconut Grove). The Barnacle isn't a nightclub, but rather a charming little Florida vernacular-style house built in 1891 by Grove pioneer Ralph Middleton Munroe on a lushly landscaped waterfront lot. Five years ago Livingston (known about town for his songs covering subjects such as melaleucas, mangoes, manatees, even the Florida lottery) was the first act featured at the Barnacle Under Moonlight monthly concert series. He has played the gig almost every year since. Gates open at 6:00 p.m. and music starts at 7:00 p.m. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair. Admission is five dollars. Kids under age ten get in free. Call 305-448-9445.
friday
april 30
Swan Lake is a classic piece familiar to many dance fans, but this is a swan of a different sort. Tonight Houlihan and Dancers perform a swan song concert. Yes, the critically acclaimed modern dance company led by Geri Houlihan since 1991 is disbanding because Houlihan is moving north to South Carolina, where she has accepted a position as chairman of the dance department at the South Carolina Governor's School of the Humanities. Your final opportunities to catch the troupe: tonight and tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. at the Colony Theater, 1040 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. Tickets range from seven to twelve dollars. Call 305-531-3260.
saturday
may 1
Hold on to your socks. Another phoenix is rising from the ash heap of local music: Rose's Bar & Music Lounge (754 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). The kids at Rose's, which about a year ago quit featuring bands seven nights per week and re-emerged as a billiards and games bar called WinWin, have seen the error of their ways and are determined to revive live rock and roll on the Beach. They've dumped most of the amusements, downsized to two pool tables, and relocated the stage toward the front of the room. Okay so they might not be booking bands every night anymore, but they promise to fill the place with live tunes -- at least on weekends. They rise tonight at 10:00 with Rose's Reunion Party. On the bill: Brad Newman, Omine, and the ButterClub will play brief acoustic sets. Raw B. Jae and the Liquid Funk, Manchild, and the Holy Rollin' Hellfires promise to play plugged in. For the night's finale, musicians are invited to come onstage for an all-star jam. Cover charge is five dollars. Call 305-532-0228.
sunday
may 2
Our prayers are answered. For the first time in the United States, a twelve-piece orchestra, the 80-voice Civic Chorale of Greater Miami, and the 50-voice Choir of the Conservatory of Music in San Juan, Puerto Rico, give a performance of Cuban composer Jose Maria Vitier's Misa Cubana (Cuban Mass). Vitier (known for his music for the film Strawberry and Chocolate) penned the mass, a blend of the traditional vocal Latin mass and Latin American polyrhythms, in anticipation of Pope John Paul II's recent pilgrimage to Cuba. The musical celebration debuted during the pontiff's visit. Hear it at 8:00 tonight at the University of Miami's Gusman Concert Hall (1314 Miller Rd., Coral Gables), and 8:00 p.m. tomorrow at the Church of the Little Flower (2711 Indian Mound Trail, Coral Gables). Tickets cost $15. Call 305-284-6252.
Hard to believe that daredevil musician, inveterate druggie, punk-rock godfather, and sometime actor Iggy Pop is over age 50. Yes, Iggy is 52 years old -- old enough to be a grandfather. Guess it's apropos that he lives part-time on Miami Beach, once fondly known as God's Waiting Room. But fans should not despair. Iggy hasn't hung up his microphone just yet. Add him to the endless list of musical geezers who still have the nerve (and the stamina) to step onstage and perform. He'll do just that tonight at 8:00 at the Cameo Theatre (1445 Washington Ave., Miami Beach), where he'll probably serenade the groupies with old tunes from his eclectic repertoire and possibly snarl something new. Tickets cost $23. Call 305-532-0922.
The culture of Argentina gets its own daylong celebration at The First Argentinean Festival of Miami, with festivities starting today at noon at Bayfront Park (301 Biscayne Blvd.). A full day of entertainment is on tap, including a folklore presentation at 1:30 p.m. featuring guitarist Fabio Zini, Raul Palma, dancer Gabriel Ramos, and others. At 4:00 p.m. more than 30 tango dancers slither onto the stage. By evening Argentina's most popular rock and pop groups (Los Ratones Paranoicos, Vilma Palma e Vampiros, Los Pericos, Man Ray, Celeste Carballo, and Los Rancheros) will perform. Of course all that fun will help you build an appetite for the traditional Argentine foods that will be offered. Gates open at noon. Admission is ten dollars; children under age ten get in free. Call 305-379-5549.
monday
may 3
Globalization. You haven't the faintest idea what it means. Well apparently you're not the only one. In fact it seems so many people don't know a whit about the subject that Thomas L. Friedman, foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times and award-winning author of From Beirut to Jerusalem, thought the topic merited discussion in a book. He has just written The Lexus and the Olive: Understanding Globalization, which attempts to make sense of today's most significant socioeconomic trend by exploring how globalization has altered business practices and improved living standards all over our tumultuous world. Friedman talks tonight at 8:00 at Books & Books, 296 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables. Admission is free. Call 305-442-4408.
tuesday
may 4
Put Tony Randall and Jack Klugman together and it can only add up to (ugggh!) another tedious Odd Couple revival, right? Wrong. The terrible two are starring along with Paxton Whitehead, an actor who can make the uptight Randall seem positively mellow, in the madcap comedy Rough Crossing by acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard (author of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and co-writer of the Academy Award-winning film Shakespeare in Love). The plot involves two playwrights (Randall and Whitehead) who have four days to create a Broadway hit. Problem is they're on a cruise ship and are finding it tough to get their work done. It doesn't help that they're surrounded by a cast of kooks, including an arrogant leading man, a depressed composer (ever seen a happy one?), a sexy starlet, and a busybody waiter (Klugman). A bit more interesting than watching a neat guy and a sloppy guy bicker. Showtime is 8:00 p.m. at the Coconut Grove Playhouse, 3500 Main Hwy., Coconut Grove. The play runs through May 23. Tickets range from $30 to $40. Call 305-442-4000 for other showtimes, or see "Theater Listings," page 66.
wednesday
may 5
From the 1930s to the 1950s photographer Bill Gottlieb, a onetime music journalist for the Washington Post, created memorable portraits of music's greatest stars: Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra. His indelible images are ubiquitous: in magazines, newspapers, museums, on documentaries, more than 25 album covers, and, most recently, four postage stamps. His photos are on view at the Center for Visual Communication (4021 Laguna St., Coral Gables), which is featuring "The Jazz Photographs of Bill Gottlieb" through May 14. Admission is free. Call 305-446-6811.
