If you’ve never heard the word zarzuela you probably aren’t alone. But in Spain, it’s a popular (typically satirical) form of opera that alternates between speaking and singing. For the first time in it’s 71 year history, the Florida Grand Opera is performing a zarzuela called Luisa Fernanda to kick…
Cuerdas (Strings), which opened last night at the Arsht Center as part of the International Hispanic Theatre Festival, is a tightly acted play that wants to tug at its audience’s heart, but ultimately misses the mark. That’s no fault of the fine cast, led by the fiery Richard Viquiera (who also…
There are a few things that can really make us squirm. One of them is three mom-like ladies smilingly singing songs about their menstrual cycles, which we witnessed last night at the Actors’ Playhouse production See Jane Run!.Okay, so the opening song to the musical was actually about the multifarious…
Stories of escaping Cuba are a dime una dozena in the Magic City. But it isn’t every day that you hear about the struggles of a Jamaican immigrant. Jamaica Farewell is a real-life account of leaving for America in a time of political unrest in ’70s Jamaica, written and performed…
Decir Lluvia Y Que Llueva (To Say Rain and Have It Rain), which opened last night at the Arsht Center, is like a Pink Floyd album cover come to life. With visually arresting set pieces and opulent sound and imagery, Decir Lluvia, which is part of the month long International Hispanic Theatre…
Last night a clothes-line of plastic mustaches lined the windows of Lester’s as an eclectic, all-ages group of about 60 buckled up for the the Moustache Comedy Ride. This special inaugural showcase featured a motley crew of up-and-coming comedians from all three South Florida counties. The event was not an…
Ilan Hatsor’s Masked, at GableStage, deftly explores complex issues
Those who grew up in the Magic City in the ’70s and ’80s may remember the Byron Carlyle Theatre as the place to be to catch the latest flicks and blockbuster movies. That’s right, kids. Before all your fancy 500-screen theaters with your surround sound and $80-a-ticket IMAX 3-D multiplexes,…
Hey, dudes, ever wonder what it’s like to be a woman? Sure you can put on heels, a skirt, and a bit of blush, but then you’re just a man in women’s clothing. Living as a woman is a different tale, one that involves an intricate number of things from…
The explosive and provocative stage play Masked — which opened last night at the GableStage — skillfully manages to plumb the depths of the raw emotions of the divisive Israeli-Palestinian issue with honest story telling and aggressive, brooding and sobering performances from its three stars.Written in 1990, three years after…
International Hispanic Theatre Festival 2011 showcases diversity and honors Chile
Drunkenly eating a cheeseburger got The Hoff one, dating Sly Stalone’s ex got Foofy-Foo one, and doing a blond brigade of future ex wives got Huge Hefner one, so, why wouldn’t tiger blood and goddesses get Charlie Sheen one?Today Comedy Central announced that the next celebrity roastee to be verbally-stoned…
In a city that is as diverse in lifestyle and taste as Miami, the International Hispanic Theatre Festival (IHTF) — presented by Teatro Avante Thursday through July 24 — has been singular in churning out quality stage productions from the Spanish-speaking world every year for a quarter century. Some of…
Early on in Forrest Shaw’s comedy career, a guest spot at the Improv put him in front of an enthusiastically unappreciative crowd. He told us, “When you first start out, all your jokes are about masturbating.” While telling a joke on the sensitive subject, hand moving back and forth in…
Miami artists Pioneer Winter and Jared Sharon’s upcoming performance contains partial nudity — but which part? To find out you have to visit the Bass Museum of Art for 42: A Stonewall Prospective tomorrow. Winter and Sharon looked to the historical Stonewall riots as a focus for 42. “We’ll be…
Martin Lawrence: (noun) A funny motherfreaker. Ex. “Dude, he went on all Martin Lawrence on that bitch. It was hilarious.”Some people know him from Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing. Others are familiar with classics like House Party, and Blue Streak. Most are familiar with his hit show Martin, which…
The M Ensemble does Crossroad Blues
Comedian Daniel Reskin is celebrating his 26th birthday with a ukulele-wielding lesbian singing a little ditty about joining the Christian right to piss off her ex-girlfriend. This display does not disrupt his celebration. In fact, it’s very much a part of it. Reskin is in the midst of hosting the…
Multiple mistresses. A womanizing king who imprisoned or killed their husbands. Nineteenth Century political scandals were a lot more intense than today’s freakouts over PG-13 cellphone photos of a congressman’s package. Case in point: Victor Hugo’s Le Roi s’amus (The King’s Fool) modeled on the exploits of France’s murderous King…
On the cusp of his live performance at the Seminole Casino Hollywood tomorrow night, we were able to convince Gallagher to let us ask him some hard-hitting questions he would surely side-step. We wanted a phone interview so when we claim that homeboy just basically phoned in his responses we…
The WNBA’s Miami team, the Miami Sol, may no longer be around, but that isn’t because Miami women don’t know how to slam. Deborah Magdalena, the local founder of SWAN (Supporting Women Artists Now) realized that 305 women needed a court of sorts to display their poetry slam prowess. “There…
What happens when you put Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, and Jay-Z in a blender? No, not a flesh-and-guts gazpacho that only Hannibal Lecter could love. You get comedian, master mimicker, and Saturday Night Live cast member Jay Pharoah. Nailing his first impression at age six when an audible copy of…
