Performing Arts

50 Words at GableStage explores ordinary tragedies

In part one of Cultist’s interview with Demetri Martin, you learned the salacious truth about the Jersey joker and his young, eager groupies. “The closest thing I have to a groupie is a teenage guy who wants to be a comedian and wants to talk about being a comedian,” Mr…

How awesome would it have been if comedian Demetri Martin were our fifth-grade teacher? Maybe then we would’ve grown up to be entertaining, witty, and interesting. But instead God gave us Mr. Wiener, some bald jerk with a lazy eye who seemed to hate children almost as much as he…

Whether you’ve seen her on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Chelsea Lately, or VH1’s oddly addictive I Love the ’70s/’80s/’90s series, comedian Loni Love has been part of your pop culture channel surfing. And Love’s signature, smart-ass stand-up recently landed her a one-hour Comedy Central special called America’s Sister,…

Cultist recently asked veteran comic Paul Mooney about what he thinks about the dreaded n-word.  A few days later, Dr. Laura used it on her radio show, citing that black comics use it all the time. Today, it was announced that Dr. Laura is losing her show over her n-word…

Most people associate open-mike poetry nights with tie-dye, sneaky hits from Pyrex bowls, crusty flip-flops, and the stink of patchouli. But the Bohemia Room at Vlada Lounge is the “Boom Boom Pow” version of those hippie nightmares. Sure, there’ll be some political ranting, but it’ll likely be followed by Marvin…

You motherfuckers should be ashamed of yourselves. A 69-year-old demigod of comedy comes to town and stages a four-day hostile takeover at the Improv, but still you can’t find the time or energy to step away from your reality TV and Twinkies? Shit … Seeing Paul Mooney — in person!…

Like a cackling alarm clock, Paul Mooney really knows how to wake a motherfucker up. On page seven of Mooney’s memoir, Black Is the New White, about his 40 years on the outer edge of Hollywood, he recalls: “I’m sliding into a booth in a coffee shop on Santa Monica…

Have you ever wondered what your parents were up to while you were away at sleepovers? If you haven’t even considered the thought, lest it involve disturbing images of blindfolds and whips, consider your parents among the fortunate ones. Because often, in those rare moments of calm between washing crayon…

Last night, Kathy Griffin brought her special brand of expletive-ridden, Hollywood mockery to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino for a two-hour packed show. Yeah, so we called her an unfunny asshole for giving her one local interview to the Miami Herald. Did you really think we wouldn’t go?Anyway, last night,…

Back in the ’70s, Paul Mooney dug up nuggets of comedy genius as a writer for shows like The Richard Pryor Show, Sanford and Son, and Saturday Night Live. In 1987, he opened for Eddie Murphy’s Raw tour. He invented In Living Color’s Homey D. Clown, and played both Negrodamus…

The fine folks and dirty jokers over at the Comedy Inn have discovered a previously unknown permutation of the Perfect Friday Night. And it’s surprisingly simple: Pack a bunch of fun junkies into a cozy Quality Inn ballroom, get them really drunk on beer and booze from the open bar,…

Without fail, every time we’re getting down at a club, there’s always a hard-core group of dancers, that get up in each other faces until a giant dance battle breaks out. We try to hold back our boyfriend, but he’s all “Naw, I can’t let them disrespect.” Next thing we…

OK, we know she isn’t an unfunny asshole. In fact, no matter how much we want to call her nasty names, Kathy Griffin seems pretty goddamn delightful. But we’re hurt. The Emmy-winning comedian will be in town this Wednesday at Hard Rock Live and we had been giddy with excitement at…

It was the full-bodied movements of those bare-breasted women that first lit Njeri Plato-Dioubate’s long-term love affair with West African dance. And it was enough to convince the Trinidad-born performer, who had previously focused on Caribbean folklore dancing, to permanently change course. “It just captured me,” says Plato-Dioubate. She remembers…

Rolling with the big boys — there are a few ladies who not only do it, but do it well. Meet Sheryl Underwood. She’s kind of a BFD (big fucking deal) in the comedy world. No, she’s not Chelsea Handler or Kathy Griffin, but she’s on her way. Originally breaking…

Remember Area Stage? Miami critics fawned all over this little theater company on Lincoln Road until it closed in 1999. They recently reopened in Coral Gables, complete with a conservatory for young actors. This weekend, they stage Jonathan Larson’s Rent. We spoke with Area Stage’s directors about their role in…

Nietzsche declared, “One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.” It’s doubtful that the existential philosopher anticipated chaos giving birth to Dancing With the Stars, where B-listers tango for more fame. It’s more likely that he would have been down with…

Every family has its version of the outcast: the crazy aunt, the crazy half-brother’s ex-wife’s cousin. But would it change things if you learned that your deranged family member also happened to be crazy-rich? Would you seek them out for a donation to your backpacking-Europe-for-personal-enlightenment fund?Before you drive down that…

Somewhere right now, an engagement is being hatched over the sound of gunfire, a baby is taking its first breathe amidst rubble, and a marriage is testing its limit as massive riots rage outside. They didn’t think to add “in peace and in violence” to the list of marriage vows,…

The Pillowman is hard to watch. But it’s not the result of the acting, which is spot-on and emotionally charged. And it’s not because of the Little Stage Theater, whose squeaky seats stacked on plywood risers don’t make for the most comfortable theater experience. Rather, it’s the content of the…

The future looks dangerously bright for Drew Spears. Right now, the 21-year-old standup comic is chasing a double major in Motion Pictures and English Literature at UM. Translation: He can look forward to near-certain unemployment, probable starvation, and an almost 50-percent chance of homelessness. “The school of communications makes you…