Selected Calendar Events

THU 28 Loews loves dogs. The hotel chain has a reputation with the canine crowd for taking care of its four-legged friends. (Other pets are welcome as guests, but this party’s just for the dogs.) Tonight the Loews Miami Beach Hotel (1601 Collins Ave.) has joined paws with Warner Bros…

Comfort Food

Miami’s best chefs cook for charity TUE 8/2 Imagine combining the best fare from 35 of Miami’s finest chefs, all in one delectable evening: the tastiest tidbits from Azul paired with a side of Baleen’s most popular dish; divine surf and turf composed of succulent shellfish from Joe’s Stone Crab…

Float On By

Butterflies take over Fairchild SUN 7/31 Lovers of skippers, sulphurs, and swallowtails, rejoice! Today is Butterfly Day at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (10901 Old Cutler Rd., Coral Gables). After a delicious pancake breakfast, experts will lead guided butterfly walks, pointing out plants that supply sustenance to these beautiful winged creatures…

Chillin’ to the MAC

FRI 7/29 A much-needed reprieve from the season’s heat and downpours, SummerFest 2005 at Miami Art Central (5960 SW 57th Ave., Miami) is a collection of multidisciplinary events that bring visual arts, music, film, and literature together. A film series for young international filmmakers curated by University of Miami professors…

Everybody Dance Now

It’s a three-hour halftime show WED 8/3 Dentists, librarians, and statisticians have their own conferences, so it makes sense that professional sports dancers would also meet for an annual convention to learn the latest kicks of their trade. This year Miami is the lucky city to play host to more…

Inspired by Envy

The recent off-Broadway hit Matt & Ben, written by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers, is having its Florida premiere in a Mad Cat Theatre production at the Light Box Studio, directed by Paul Tei. It’s cute. The plot is a simple fantasy about talent, male bonding, and fame, based on…

Current Stage Shows

Men on the Verge of a His-Panic Breakdown: The good news here is Guillermo Reyes is a major voice in Hispanic and gay theater, and his 1994 comedy Men on the Verge of a His-Panic Breakdown is nothing short of brilliant. The really bad news, however, is the amateur show…

Copycats

After Duchamp’s infamous 1917 urinal, in which the French artist simply added his signature to a bathroom fixture and placed it on display, is authorship still a relevant matter? Sure it’s still relevant, except that ever since artists began experimenting with photography, film, Xerox, video, and music sampling, the notion…

Current Art Shows

Florida Artists Series: Tori Arpad and Kate Kretz: The Frost Museum’s current exhibition showcases two FIU associate art professors’ works combined to create an aesthetically and emotionally dramatic tone. Through her paintings and mixed-media textile creations, Kretz confronts and embraces themes of anguish, vulnerability, and female intuition. Although what’s described…

Good Jews, Bad Jews

No, it’s not the big one. But the Summer Mini-Fest presented by the Miami Jewish Film Festival does offer a welcome respite from the blockbuster madness that rules at your local multiplex. True, this time around there is nothing here on the level of previous festival discoveries such as Walk…

Miracle on Ice

If you’re short on reasons to be grateful these days, look no further than March of the Penguins, the astonishing if imperfect nature documentary from first-time director Luc Jacquet. Hard times may have befallen you, but at least you are not a penguin, an animal destined to repeat a devastating…

Pretty War Machine

In a dark corner of Scorpico Multiplayer, ten young adults are sitting together, headsets in place, eyes focused on the glowing computer screens before them. They are all playing Battlefield 2, the number-one game in the country. “Sometimes I have twenty, thirty people all playing the same game,” says co-owner…

Night&Day

THUR 21 You’ve got the brains and the brawn, and you want to make lots of money. That’s great, but you really need a solid plan to get your business cooking. We know the public library is always an excellent resource for free information, but now those savvy librarians at…

Clap and Twirl

Flamenco. The word evokes luscious images of long ruffled skirts, strumming guitars, vibrant footwork, and of course Spain. Feel free to add South Florida to that list. South Florida will be a hub of flamenco activity July 23 through August 6, during Flamenco in the Sun 2005, a festival of…

Finding Urban Peace

A beacon of hope NOW 24/7 We don’t know if it’s the heat, humidity, or constant tropical storm tracking, but summer in Miami can induce a lot of craziness. Sometimes you need to just get away. If you don’t have the time or the bankroll to jet off to an…

Stepping Out

A Horse of Course SAT 7/23 Whether you prefer the classic, performance, or pleasure type, you’re guaranteed a good time with these horses. Those are just three walking styles of Paso Finos, horses famous for their drumlike gait. Their quick, high steps make them look like they’re prancing on fiery…

Mutu’s Mojo

MAM presents an Amazing exhibit THUR 7/21 The difference between stepping on a spectator’s toes and delivering a knockout blow is driven home by the jarring work of Wangechi Mutu, a serial mind-stunner with some wicked combinations. Noted for her jolt-packing Gorgons that look like glam-happy fugitives from some other…

A Locke of Color

An American Idol star gives good Karma SAT 7/23 The Miami Gay Men’s Chorus will be singing “Hallelujah!” to an act that matches theirs. Edison Farrow’s new weekly event is fabulous — even for those who don’t sing. Karma Saturdays are fun parties where Farrow welcomes you with his wide…

The Shylock Enigma

Rafael de Acha’s production of The Merchant of Venice is not perfect, but it also cannot be dismissed. It boasts gripping and often extraordinary performances by Steve Gladstone, Annemaria Rajala, Euriamis Losada, Nicholas Richberg, and Stephen S. Neal, as well as spectacularly lovely costumes by Estela Vrancovich and singularly touching…

Verging on Disaster

The good news here is Guillermo Reyes is a major voice in Hispanic and gay theater, and his 1994 comedy Men on the Verge of a His-Panic Breakdown is nothing short of brilliant. The really bad news, however, is that the amateur show of the same name that EDGE/Theatre is…

Current Stage Shows

For complete up-to-date South Florida stage listings, click on Culture on the navigation bar to the left, scroll down to the Listings Search and “Category” pulldown, then select “Stage.” Modern Orthodox: Culture clash always makes for great comedy. It’s fun to poke fun at ourselves through the archetypes we witness…

Current Art Shows

For complete up-to-date South Florida art listings, click on Culture on the navigation bar to the left, scroll down to the Listings Search and “Category” pulldown, then select “Art Galleries” or “Museums.” Absurd World: The world masterfully created by Mexican painter Armando Romero is not quite absurd, but definitely strange,…