Fourth Dimension of South Beach Spins
a Fractured Fairy Tale
Local Theatre Retells Cinderella, South Beach Style

By Mary Damiano

Imagine a modern Miami Beach take on Cinderella, in which the wicked stepmother is a South Beach real estate agent and the poor but lovely maid needs to marry her own American prince in order to get her green card.

That’s the plot of SoBe Wonderland, the new musical production from Fourth Dimension of South Beach, the community theatre company dedicated to presenting original productions meant to entertain South Beach’s unique and diverse population.

Fourth Dimension of South Beach will bring their unique version of Cinderella to local audiences this weekend and Thanksgiving weekend.  The Thanksgiving weekend performances will feature local performer Adora, one of the more colorful characters on the South Beach scene.

Cast of Sobe Wonderland   Photo: Robert Figueroa

SoBe Wonderland was co-written by Ellen Jameson and Hector Valdes. Jameson also plays Evil Lina, the wicked real estate agent in the musical.  MiamiARTzine.com recently spoke with Jameson about Fourth Dimension South Beach’s fractured fairy tale about life in South Beach.

You co-wrote SoBe Wonderland. How did you get the idea?
Sobe Wonderland is a celebration of all that makes South Beach world-famous.  Hector Valdes and myself have been developing the idea for over two years.  He and I instinctively knew  and loved the characters.  They are the fabric of the Miami Beach scene in which we both live and work.  SoBe Wonderland is about the fashion, color and the fabulousness of our city.  However, we also observed some of the darker aspects of Miami Beach life and really wanted to address the wider social issues that confront residents of a tourist town, like preservation and over-development. The mission of our theater group, Fourth Dimension, is to provide thought-provoking theater in an entertaining way.   We believe we have done that with this production and we have had a lot of fun doing it.  The writing combination of Hector and myself has proved successful.   The Cuban fire of Hector and my British ice have produced a very international play.

From the description, SoBe Wonderland seems to fulfill your mission of bringing original work that is uniquely South Beach-esque.
The real estate property boom that became a national obsession fueled the creative ideas that formed the main story line of  SoBe Wonderland. This presented us with perfect allegiances and conflicts with which our characters could react and interact. We chose to write a fractured fairy tale because it enables to get our story and message across to the diverse population, which make up Miami and the beaches area.  The story of Cinderella is told in over 600 languages and cultures, so we knew that our audiences would be able to identify with the characters.  Poor little Chicabella dreams of going to the ball and marrying a prince so that she can get legal, a dilemma which resonates with so many people who want to make this city and country their home.  She has a fairy God-lawyer to help her fulfill her dream.  It became a mission to tell her story following a true incident that happened to friends of mine.  Their maid, who has been a loyal and trusted servant for many years, accidentally set off the burglar alarm.  She was so scared that the police would arrive and deport her that she hid in a closet for five hours.  There was also another true story which confirmed our need to tell the story of the hidden people living in our society.  A wonderful lady of my acquaintance suddenly sprang to life after she married and gained her American citizenship.  Having previously been a shy, timid creature who melted into the background, she became her own person and burst into life a colorful, vibrant individual and responsible citizen.

Your role sounds very interesting. What’s it like to play an evil diva?
Evil Lina is a joy for an actress to play.  She is self-obsessed, manipulative, scheming and you can’t help but love to hate her.  It sounds strange but I really wish I was more like her.  I am rather polite and English. Evil Lina is demanding and full of self-confidence.  She truly believes that the only important thing in life is that she fulfills her dreams of building her high-rise development, Plump Towers, on the beach.  Truth is, I love real estate in this town, and the buildings are so exciting, modern and sexy.  My friends are always telling me I should get a real estate license.

Local performer Adora  Photo: Robert Figueroa

How does Adora fit in?
Adora is one of the wonderful, over the top, larger than life characters who typify South Beach.  She represents the fun, sassy, colorful aspects of a large section of the gay community that love to dress up, party and have fun.  Life is never ordinary when you have characters like Adora on the scene.  She is opening the two shows we have at the Byron Carlyle over Thanksgiving.  She and SoBe Wonderland  are a perfect match.

How many people involved in Fourth Dimension?
We have grown tremendously in the past year.  SoBe Wonderland features a cast of a dozen people and there are a couple of dozen more in our creative and volunteer teams. 

This is your second full production. Are you content doing the one production a year?
One major production plus a couple of showcases, a fundraiser, participation in community events like the Art Deco Weekend and arts festivals is quite a heavy work load for one small theater group.  However, we are growing and developing all the time and like Evil Lina, we have great plans for our future.

What have been the challenges in keeping Fourth Dimension going over the course of the year?
The challenges of keeping a company like ours on course are generally divided into two categories.  There are the creative issues that involve honoring the vision of a lot of different very talented and sometimes temperamental individuals.  We are constantly amazed and appreciative that so many skilled and imaginative people, so much time, effort and resources to work for a not-for-profit company in the arts which is able to pay very modestly in terms of money. The reward comes in participation in the creative process and of getting to work with some really awesome people from so many different countries.  We also have to keep plowing on to raise funding for our productions, find spaces on the beach to rehearse and perform and put in place marketing to ensure that people know who we are and what we are doing.  We count ourselves fortunate to have been supported this season by the City of Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County.  Both really do care about facilitating smaller arts groups like our own.  We are also trying to increase our talent pool and invite new volunteers, supporters and corporate sponsors to share in the fun and the life enhancing experience of live theater.

Sobe Wonderland  Photo: Robert Figueroa

What do you hope audiences get out of SoBe Wonderland?
We want our audiences firstly to be entertained, to leave the theater tapping their feet to melodies like “Go to Miami”.  Also, to find some love in their hearts for those who are less fortunate and perhaps to appreciate the blessings that we have just by living, working and sitting in a fabulous place like Miami.  Another day in paradise is to be celebrated—especially if we are all willing to share the gifts.

SoBe Wonderland  will be performed November 10, 11, 17 and 18 at 8 p.m., at the Lincoln Road Community Church,  Miami Beach, and Thanksgiving weekend, November 24 and  25 at 8 p.m. at the Byron Carlyle Theatre, 500 71^st Street, Miami Beach. There will also be a Saturday matinee November 25 at 3 p.m. Adora will appear at the two evening shows at the Byron Carlyle. Tickets are range from $15 to $25, depending on venue and performance.  To purchase tickets, call TheaterMania.com, 1-866-811-4111 / by phone 305 532 3740 or Box Office at Byron Carlyle 305-867 4194