Mary Damiano Photo by David Vance

 Mary Damiano’s Arts Scene

Linda Eder, Henry Perez and Chuck Wagner backstage at Eder’s January 10 concert

It used to be that November was the busiest month for arts and entertainment in South Florida, but January seems to be the new November. When exactly did January get to be such a hot month for the arts in South Florida?  With more than a dozen theatre openings, the Miami Jewish Film Festival, Art Deco Weekend, the South Beach Comedy Festival, big-name concerts, dance performances and Art Miami, there’s hardly been time for an intrepid e-zine team to catch their collective breath. We’ve been from Miami Beach to West Palm Beach, trying to keep up with the hectic pace to bring you a glimpse inside the hottest events in town. For example, photographer Henry Perez had a blast at the Linda Eder concert at the Carnival Center January 10.  Not only was Eder incredible—I’ve seen her in concert before and she really does have a thrilling voice—but he got to go backstage to meet her.  Check out this photo of Henry with Linder Eder and her friend Chuck Wagner.

Henry, me and Harvey Burstein at Beyond Café, a new tapas restaurant in West Palm Beach

One recent magical day and night was last Sunday, January 14, when Henry and I drove up to West Palm Beach along with our publisher Harvey Burstein.  Our first stop was the big art fair, Palm Beach 3, at the convention center, where the art was terrific, and people seem to dress up a lot more to view it. (Check out the photo gallery in our February 2 issue.) Our plan for the evening included theatre, but first we needed dinner.  Wandering down Clematis Street, we happened into a brand new tapas restaurant on Narcissus Street called Café Beyond, where we were informed that they were doing their grand opening, and the food was free—we just had to pay for our drinks.  We dined on delicious paella, crab cakes, pasta with goat cheese, salad, bruschetta with a tropical twist and open-faced cheeseburgers, which was probably the best cheeseburger I’ve ever had.  After dinner it was off to Palm Beach Dramaworks where we saw Trying, and were treated to lovely performances from Peter Haig and Christine Carroll.  It’s playing through February 4, so catch it if you can.  Great friends, great art, great food, great theatre—just another day and night in the life of the team at MiamiARTzine.com.

Guitarist Bill Frisell

Movies, Music and Bill Frisell
In a unique melding of film and music, two-time Grammy Award-winning guitarist Bill Frisell and the 858 Quartet will perform original compositions to a collection of short films, including classic silent slapstick surrealist animation.  Frisell is one of the foremost voices in contemporary music, and has collaborated with Elvis Costello, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Loudon Wainwright III, Rickie Lee Jones, Bono and Brian Eno, among others. This one-night-only event is presented by Tigertail Productions and will be performed Sunday, January 28 at 7:30 at the Byron Carlyle Theater, 500 71^st Street, Miami Beach.  For tickets and more information, call 305-545-8546 or visit tigertail.org.

Cast of Peter and the Wolf by Momentum Dance Company

Dance for Kids
Momentum Dance Company continues its series of performances for children with productions of Goldilocks & the Three Bears and Peter in the Wolf.  Tickets are free this month’s performances, Saturday, January 20 at the Coral Gables Youth Center, 400 Anastasia Avenue at 11 a.m., and Sunday, January 21, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., at Lummus Park, part of Art Deco weekend.  Next month’s performances of Fish Tales and Water Study, on Saturday, February 17, 11 a.m. at the Goodlet Theater, 420 W. 8^th Avenue, Hialeah, is only $2 per person.  This is a great way to introduce kids to the arts and to the world of dance.  For more information, visit momentumdance.com.

Juried Art Show Calls for Artists
Florida artists are invited to submit their work for the 2007 All-Media Juried Biennial, which is sponsored by the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood.  All works selected to be part of the show will be on display April 6 through May 20 at the Art and Culture Center’s galleries at 1650 Harrison Street.  Original paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, photography, video, computer-generated images, and site-specific installations will be considered.  Only work completed after January 1, 2004 and submitted by January 31, 2007 is eligible.  Cash prizes totaling $4,000 will be awarded.  The exhibition juror is Claire Breukel, executive director of Locust Projects in Miami and former exhibitions director of ArtCenter/South Florida.  For an entry form and more information, call 954-921-3274 or visit artandculturecenter.org/biennial.

Eric Allison, music director of the Gold Coast Jazz Society

Ella Fitzgerald Stamp Unveiled at Concert
The Gold Coast Jazz Society will present a free concert, Jazz Reflections, on Thursday, February 1 at 7 p.m., at the auditorium of the Northwest Regional Library, 3151 N. University Drive, Coral Springs.  The concert will feature an ensemble of jazz musicians and vocalist Nicole Yarling under the direction of Eric Allison, and will include jazz standards.  A special feature of the concert will be the unveiling of the new Ella Fitzgerald stamp by the U.S. Postal Service to this region. For more information about this concert as well as other Gold Coast Jazz Society events, call 954-524-0805 or visit goldcoastjazz.org.

Theatre Openings
Edge Theatre will present the South Florida premiere of Norman Allen’s In the Garden, about a Bible-quoting rent boy who changes the lives of for sophisticates.  The play won the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play in 2002, presented by the Helen Hayes Awards in Washington D.C.  In the Garden runs January 27 through February 4 at ArtServe, 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale.  For tickets and more information, call 786-355-0976. 

The cast of I Love You Because: Irene Adjan, Christopher A. Kent, Jennifer Hughes and E.L. Losada Photo: Alberto Romeu, Alberto Romeu Studio

Actor’s Playhouse has I Love You Because, a musical about the dating lives of two brothers. The show marks the return to musicals of E.L. Losada, who won back-to-back Carbonell Awards for his lead roles in Bat Boy and Jekyll & Hyde.  Losada has done lots of plays since his winning awards, but has had no musical roles since Jekyll & Hyde.  I Love You Because runs through February 11 at Actor’s Playhouse, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables.  For tickets and more information, call 305-444-9293 or visit actorsplayhouse.org.

Florida Stage in Manalapan continues its season with Thomas Gibbons’ A House with No Walls, about the battle that erupts when it’s discovered that George Washington’s slave quarters once stood on the site of a new museum enshrining American liberty.  A House With No Walls runs January 26 to March 4 at the Florida Stage, Plaza del Mar, 262 S. Ocean Dr., Manalapan.  For tickets and more information, call 1-800-514-3837 or visit floridastage.org.

The Playground Theatre for Young Adults is tackling Arthur Miller’s The Creation of the World and Other Business, the playwright’s take on Genesis.  The Playground Theatre’s production of this play was recently featured in the New York Times, which ran a rehearsal photo and a blurb about the play.  The Creation of the World and Other Business runs Saturday, January 27, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, January 28 at 3 p.m. at the Shores Performing Arts Theatre, 9806 NE 2 Avenue, Miami Shores.  For tickets and more information, call 305-751-9550 x231 or visit theplaygroundtheatre.com.

The Ghost Light Series will present a play reading of Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest, Tuesday, January 30, 7:30 p.m. at the Marie Wright Room at the Oakland Park Library, 1298 NE 37 St., Oakland Park.  For more information, call 954-270-0998 or e-mail ghostlightseries@yahoo.com.

Howard Herring, President and CEO of New World Symphony with Miami Beach Commissioner Simon Cruz at the presentation meeting at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens where they unveiled the artist's rendering of the new Frank Gehry desidned building

Frank Gehry Designs New World Symphony Building
The landscape of Miami Beach is changing.  The New World Symphony is getting a new building, and not just any building either.  World-renowned architect Frank Gehry is set to design the new Miami Beach facility, which will help New World Symphony expand its music academy, at which they train and prepare musicians for careers with orchestras and ensembles all over the world. Gehry’s new building will measure more than 100,000 square feet, and will feature an innovative, see-through design and a flexible, open-access configuration of rehearsal and performance space.  The building will be located next to a new park and a 600-space parking garage with select retail shops. According to New World Symphony, the new building will not only allow them to further their academic mission, but create new ways of engaging their local audience. For more information on New World Symphony, visit nws.edu.