Thursday, April 7
Local graphic designer Diego Orlandini created a coloring book for adults by taking the murals that adorn the streets of Miami's art district and turning them into black-and-white sketches. This Thursday, The Wynwood Coloring Book officially launches with a release party in the heart of the neighborhood that inspired it.
The first edition of the book features more than 40 artists and is on sale at local retailers such as Wynwood Letterpress, Miam Café, and Wood Tavern. Featured are the works of recognizable street artists such as Diana Contreras, Alex Senna, the London Police, Jenny Perez, GG Art, and Patch Whisky. But Orlandini has since been contacted by an overwhelming number of people wanting their work to be included in the next book. "I see this having multiple editions," he says with a smile.
"I wanted to make something that was different but also representative of Wynwood and something that you would want to keep with you."
Celebrate with the team behind the concept and some of the featured artists at the Wynwood Yard (56 NW 29th St., Miami) from 7 to 9 p.m. There will be food, drinks, and copies of the book for sale. Admission is free, and if you purchase a book via the website or Eventbrite, you will receive a complimentary drink. Visit wynwoodcoloringbook.com or thewynwoodyard.com.
Wine, food, and more wine. Red the Steakhouse is hosting a five-course dinner paired with wine selections from Caymus Vineyards. Curated by Caymus Florida manager Matt Green and Red executive chef Peter Vauthy, the evening will feature more than six wine varieties, along with more than a dozen specialty dishes — both on and off the restaurant's menu. Expect crisp pork belly, crab-stuffed prawn, braised Kobe short ribs, a variety of international cheeses, and other items.
The Caymus Wine Dinner begins at 7 p.m. Thursday at Red (119 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). The cost is $249 per person, not including tax and gratuity. Reservations are required. Call 305-534-3688.
Friday, April 8
Most women are well aware of the sting of being called a slut. In high school, reputations could be ruined with one utterance of the illicit word. But females everywhere are reclaiming the term, striking down slut-shaming, and shining a light on sexual assault.
Florida International University's fourth-annual Miami SlutWalk is part of a worldwide movement to put an end to rape culture. The concept began in 2011 when a Toronto police officer actually spoke these words: "Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized." Oh. Hell. No.
Since then, marches have taken place in North, Central, and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. FIU's edition will raise funds for Men and Women United in Justice, Education, and Reform (MUJER), a rape and domestic-violence crisis center. Everyone is encouraged to attend and wear whatever the hell you want. Sluts unite.
The event begins at 3 p.m. Friday at the GC Lawns on the FIU MMC campus (11200 SW Eighth St., Miami). Admission is free, but donations are welcome at gofundme.com/now2mujer. Visit fiunow.com/miami-slut-walk.
With the Miami Noise Machine, it's not the rhythm that will get you, but the jokes set to music made up on the spot. This Friday, the Fillmore will host a unique comedy and improv experience. The actors from Villain Theater will combine their love of Broadway and Chicago-style long-form improv to offer the Miami Noise Machine. The group will create a full-blown musical based on audience suggestions. It's the sort of sketch that
Miami Noise Machine: The Improvised Musical marches its conga line of actors and imaginative songs into the Gleason Room of the Fillmore Miami Beach (1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). Doors open at 9 p.m., and showtime is 10. Tickets cost $10. Call 786-537-5430 or visit villaintheater.com.
The eighth-annual Miami Beach Gay Pride Festival is more than just an opportunity to get drunk in the streets and dress in as many colors as possible. The event serves as an important cultural celebration. The mission of the weekend-long revelry is to unite members of the LGBTQ community, as well as friends and allies, in a safe space that honors freedom of expression and a positive sense of self. Though Miami Beach Gay Pride spans Friday through Sunday and encompasses a range of events, the parade often serves as the focal point of the festival. For the fifth year in a row, organizers will bestow an award upon the parade entry that best captures the spirit of Pride.
So hit the streets and celebrate Miami Beach Gay Pride this weekend on Ocean Drive from Fifth to 15th streets. The parade takes place Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. Admission is free. Call 305-496-7635 or visit miamibeachgaypride.com.
An activewear line called Liquido would seem to suggest clothing made of water. Well, the fabric is practically liquid gold for yogis and fitness junkies. It dries quickly and absorbs sweat, plus it has SPF 50 protection. Global distributor Renata Facchini explains, "The name 'Liquido' was chosen because, just as water is essential to life, the founders believe good clothing is a bare necessity." The Brazilian company has an outpost at the holistic Brickell mansion House of Movement.
Much as every New York fashionista dreams about the warehouse sales in the city, Miamians can expect a similar affair this weekend. The Liquido warehouse sale will have one-of-a-kind items for up to 70 percent off (the yoga leggings retail for $83). Fashion fiends will find a variety of tops, sports bras, shorts, pants, one-piece suits, and other items. "We launch 12 different prints per month, every month," Facchini says. "Once the styles sell out, they are gone — that's why we refer to them as limited edition."
Stock up on activewear or upgrade your shabby leggings. The sale runs Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The warehouse will reopen Saturday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the House of Movement (1900 Brickell Ave., Miami). Visit liquidoactive.com.
Saturday, April 9
As part of its Home-Grown Comedy Week, Mad Cat Theatre Company presents Why Not? With Richard Nixon, a new comedy by company members Jessica Farr, Theo Reyna, and Paul Tei. Founded in 2000, the theater troupe has striven to inspire its audiences to reimagine the world around them. Mad Cat is known for its original works, stage adaptations, live music, and poetry — all of which make viewers think, stir up discussions among friends, or even promote philosophical debates. Why Not? With Richard Nixon is a comedy written by three local Miamians; Farr is the marketing director of the theater company, and Tei is the theater director.
Although it's Mad Cat's 16th season at the Miami Theater Center in Miami Shores, the company takes this performance to Miami Beach. Showtime is 8 p.m. Saturday in the Gleason Room at the Fillmore Miami Beach (1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). Tickets cost $30. Call 305-673-7300 or visit madcattheatre.org.
Tuesday, April 12
Sam Mendes is best recognized for his film work, such as the Oscar-winning American Beauty and the James Bond box office smashes Skyfall and Spectre. But the British director also has a history in stage performance. In fact, he and Rob Marshall codirected a dark reinvention of the classic musical Cabaret in 1993 in London. The Broadway revival won a Tony in 1998. And in honor of the production's 50th anniversary (it debuted on Broadway in 1966), the show comes to South Florida direct from the Big Apple, as presented by the Roundabout Theatre Company. The musical tells the story of a young English cabaret performer and her dalliances with an American writer at the Kit Kat Klub in Berlin. Set just before the onset of World War II, Cabaret has many elements that serve as metaphors for political strife in prewar Germany.
Cabaret takes place at the Ziff Ballet Opera House inside the Adrienne Arsht Center (1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami) this Tuesday through April 17 at various times. Tickets cost $29 to $125. Call 305-949-6722 or visit arshtcenter.org.
You may love Rihanna's "Work" and Young Thug's catchy ditties, but there was once a time when lyrics were complex — not because they were unintelligible, but rather, they were poetic. A turn of verse is a heavy and wondrous thing. In the right hands, a song becomes a force of movement, an emotional landslide, a perfect picture of a moment in time. That's the essence of the old "art song," a tradition of stripped-down performance, usually by one singer with piano accompaniment, that stands as a pillar of the humanities throughout the European continent.
Art songs are literally poetry in melody, and O, Miami wants to bring the art of song to life for you with a special, intimate performance Tuesday at the Betsy Hotel (1440 Ocean Dr., South Beach). Be enchanted by the rhapsodic beauty of German lieder, French chanson, Italian Neapolitan classics, and English art songs, presented and performed the way they were intended to be heard hundreds of years ago. The Poetry of Art Songs begins at 7 p.m. and is free to attend with RSVP via email to [email protected]. Call 305-531-6100 or visit omiami.org.
Wednesday, April 13
You may not be able to remember what day it is or what you had for breakfast, but some individuals can remember every word on a page, every pixel of an image, and every card in a deck without breaking a sweat. It's no magic or miracle. They have the same brain as you. They just happen to have unlocked hidden potential either through practice, trauma, innate disorder, or whatever else.
Berit Brogaard, PhD, and her colleague Kristian Marlow, MA, have spent years studying the strange cases of memory champions, echolocating humans, musical virtuosos, math geniuses, and other phenomenons to see just what's up with their noggins that pull off so many tricks. It turns out our brains are capable of a lot more than we think. And sometimes, for one strange reason or another, some of the vast information our brains process below the surface boils up. Brogaard and Marlow put their research into their new book, The Superhuman Mind, and added a few bits of advice on how to tap into your own potential.
Brogaard will be on hand to talk about her years of study and wild findings Wednesday at 8 p.m. as part of the ongoing meet-the-author series at Books & Books (265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables). Admission is free, and copies of The Superhuman Mind will be available for purchase for $25.95. Call 305-442-4408 or visit booksandbooks.com.
