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, Byron Carlyle was the place to be to watch a movie, and then sneak into others after that movie ended.
Well it looks like the theater and the Miami Beach performance art scene is about to get the proverbial kick in the proverbial pants it's been needing for a while with the announcement that the award-winning Broward Stage Door its expanding and moving to the Byron Carlyle this summer.
The City of Miami Beach approved a lease for the company to take over the old North Beach building, and Stage Door is wasting no time kicking things off with their production of the musical Suds, which opens on July 29.
The B.C. ran into hard times when its owner, Wometco Enterprises, sold the joint to the city, which eventually closed it down in 2006. So it's good news for the city, as well as theatergoers and performing arts fans, that Stage Door is taking over the place to breathe new life into the old building, as well as the neighborhood shops and restaurants around it.
Stage Door will ease into things with small productions at first, and eventually plans on launching full seasons of big time musicals that have become the theatre company's award winning staple. Stage Door just recently earned the 2011 Carbonell for Best Musical for their Broward production of Mack & Mabel. So, if things go well for their Miami Beach location, we could expect to see big-time productions such as Annie and Guys and Dolls hit the beach.
The Stage Door Theatre curtain rises at the Byron Carlyle Theatre (500 71st St., Miami Beach) on July 29 with their production of Suds. Tickets are $38. Call 954-344-7765 or visit stagedoortheatre.com.
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