Mary Damiano Photo by David Vance

Mary Damiano’s Arts Scene

As I was sitting in Books & Books last night for the City Theatre play readings, I was thinking how lucky we are that we live in a place with such great entertainment options.  Last Saturday I enjoyed a terrific concert by James Blood Ulmer at the Colony in South Beach.  Ulmer possesses the demeanor and presence of a man who’s lived his music.  Backed by a drummer and bass player, the concert was long on jazz and short on blues, but what was there was choice. After the concert, we wandered down Lincoln Road to Books & Books for dinner.  One of the specials that night was shrimp ravioli.  Mmm…

On Monday I attended a different kind of concert, the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus and Broadway legend Barbara Cook at Broward Center.  Cook, who turned 80 this week, was marvelous.  Unlike many singers, her voice has gotten better with age, and is clear and true.  She created intimacy in the huge Au Rene theatre by having her own spotlight dimmed and the house lights turned up so she could see her audience.  Her sets were laced with Sondheim and Sondheim-adjacent songs, including many songs on the master composer’s list of songs he wished he’s written.  She was ably backed by the chorus, who did their own sets of Broadway hits, including a rousing rendition of “76 Trombones” from The Music Man.  Check out our Hot Shot this issue for a moment from the evening.  Which brings us to last night at Books & Books.  City Theatre held a staged reading of six plays under consideration for Summer Shorts, their annual one-act play fest. These staged readings allow City Theatre to hear how the plays sound out loud and get feedback from an audience. New artistic director Stuart Meltzer hinted at an expansion to Summer Shorts; watch this column for more info.  The next City Theatre staged reading will be Wednesday, December 5.

The cake, made by Maggie Marrero, from the MiamiARTzine.com first anniversary party in 2006 Photo: Henry Perez

Celebrate with MiamiARTzine.com
You still have time to get your tickets for “Musical Journeys Through Time,” the second anniversary party and fundraiser for MiamiARTzine.com on Wednesday, November 7, 6:30-9:00 p.m., at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden.  A $25 ticket will get you hors d’oeuvres, drinks and dessert from sponsors Lovables, Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., Flor de Caña, Maggie’s Cakes and Starbucks, entertainment from the SoBe Music Institute, the DJ Scratch Academy, and an art exhibition of the work of Daniel Marosiby.  You’ll also be able to get up close and personal with the many people who make MiamiARTzine.com possible.  We love to meet our readers, so please make it a point to attend.  Your presence at the party will directly support MiamiARTzine.com and keep our publication popping up in your mailbox every two weeks, ready to inform you about the best and brightest happenings on the local arts scene.  And the ticket price is tax deductible, so you can’t go wrong.  Tickets will be available at the door or in advance from Miami Beach Arts Trust Board members.  Sponsors for the celebration include the Miami Beach Arts Trust and the Miami Beach Botanical Garden.  For more information, call 305 535 2448 or email Somiamibe@aol.com. Don’t miss the fun!

My Valentine by Theresa Marie Calluori, part of the Weapons of Mass Destruction exhibition at the World Erotic Art Museum

Erotic Weapons at WEAM
Entering its third year as one of South Beach’s major tourist and resident attractions, Naomi Wilzig’s World Erotic Art Museum has set out to further enhance its position in the international art scene by launching a series of one-man shows.  First up is an exhibit of Theresa Marie Calluori’s provocative “Weapons of Mass Distraction.” Calluori created her intriguing collages of plastic torsos whose bodies were retrieved from a dumpster by a friend who declared,  “I’m sure you can do something with these.” Searching far, wide and Wal-Mart for just the “right stuff,” “Weapons of Mass Distraction” was born, each collage speaking to both men and women as objects, appliances, and toys, each erotic, serious and just plain amusing. Affiliated with Coconut Grove’s Grove House Artists and the One Ear Society, Calluori was represented in the Grove’s 22^nd Annual King Mango Strut, when the members of the One Ear Society honored her by dressing as “Weapons of Mass Distraction.” The exhibition runs through November 15.  The World Erotic Art Museum is located at 1205 Washingon Avenue, Miami Beach.  Open daily from 11 a.m. to Midnight. Admission is $15, no one under 18 admitted.  For more information, call 305-532-9336 or visit weam.com. For photos of the opening night reception for “Weapons of Mass Distraction", visit the photo gallery in this issue.

Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum in Phantom of the Opera

Halloween Festivities
The arts community is getting into the spirit by participating in a variety of Halloween events.  The Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Drive, will present a Halloween-themed Family Day on Saturday, October 27 from noon to 3 p.m.  The event is free and open to the public.  Activities include pumpkin carving with demonstration by Williams Sonoma, pumpkin painting and crafts, a costume parade, games and treats sponsored by Publix. Pumpkins will also be for sale. The Halloween Family Day is part of the Garden’s Fall Membership Campaign. For information, visit mbgarden.org or call 305-673-7256, Ext. 201.  Arts at St. Johns, 4760 Pine Tree Dr., Miami, will present a free screening of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 2004 film Phantom of the Opera, Saturday, October 27 at 7 p.m.  popcorn, candy and soft drinks will be available.  sjlfmc.brinkster.net/thearts.  This is the final weekend for two Halloween plays at Edge Theatre.  In The Pattern by Brian Harris, an engaged couple seeks counseling from a psychiatrist, and in Cassie by Jim Tommaney, a young woman admits she can see the future, and things don’t look good.  The plays will be performed Friday October 26, 8 p.m., at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Drive, with the final three performances at Edge Theatre, 3825 N. Miami Ave., in the Miami Design District, Saturday Oct. 27 at 8 p.m., and Sunday Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m..  For reservations and directions, call 786-355-0976.  The Freddick Bratcher and Company Contemporary Dance Theatre will present several free performances of The Creation, with choreography by Freddick Bratcher and Melissa Llewellen at Light the Night festival on October 31 at the main auditorium at the Miami Vineyard Community Church, 14260 SW 119 Ave.  The event takes places 5-8 p.m. and the dance troupe will present two performances, at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.  Other festivities include a rock climbing wall, candy, rides, bounce house, and live music.  For more information, call 305.234.9600 or visit miamivineyard.com.

Sarge, whose autobiographical show I May Be Black... “but god knows I’m Jewish,” will play Broward Center

A Side Order of Laughs
Sarge, the triple-threat high energy stand-up comic/impressionist who also sings and performs on piano, will debut his new one-man show, I May Be Black... “but god knows I’m Jewish,” for a five-day run, Wednesday, October 31- Sunday, November 4, at the Broward Center’s Amaturo Theater. Miami Beach-born Sarge is a comic as well as a concert pianist.  He grew up as a black Jew from New York and launched his show business career at the age of six when, after seeing a performance of The Sound of Music, he returned home and began playing the score on the family piano. A year later, young Sarge branched out into comedy after his grandfather took him to New York’s Catskill Mountains’ “Borscht Circuit” where he became enamored with the audience response to Don Rickles. For tickets and more information, call 954-462-0222 or visit browardcenter.org or Iamsarge.com.

Art Fair Preview
It may only be October, but Art Basel will be here before you know it. To help navigate that and other huge art fairs we have in South Florida, LegalArt will present How to Art Fair II, the second annual sneak peak at the big art events coming to Miami.  Hear tips, tactics and trends from Art Miami, NADA, Pulse and others.  The panel will be moderated by Cathy Leff, director of the Wolfsonian Museum.  The event will take place Saturday, November 10, at the Marcy Building, 3850 N. Miami Ave., Miami, 4-6 p.m..  There will also be a reception after, 6-7:30 p.m., at the Garden Lounge, 175 NE 40 St.  For more information and to RSVP, call 305-804-3630. 

Miami Beach Cinematheque will present the Miami premiere of Bruno Dumont’s latest film, Flandres

The World of Bruno Dumont
The Miami Beach Cinematheque will present the Miami premieres of the stark and shockingly frank films of Bruno Dumont in November, as part of the ongoing “Great Directors” series.  Participating with introductions of the films will be French film scholar Professor Ralph Heyndels of the University of Miami Modern Languages and Literatures Department, and UM English Department Lecturer and French film scholar Charlie Michael.  The series will begin on November 2, with Dumont’s award winning La Vie de Jesus, and continue throughout November with the provocative l’Humanite and Twentynine Palms, ending on November 30 with his latest Cannes Grand Prix winner, Flandres.    Often compared to the great minimalist and existentialist French filmmaker Robert Bresson, Dumont studied philosophy and trained as a director ofTV commercials and industrial films before becoming one of France’s modernist voices in cinema.  He incorporates a documentary-like naturalism into his bold individual cinematic works such as l’Humanite, which was awarded an unprecedented and controversial three top prizes at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival, as well as his latest, Flandres, which also won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes.  His films such as La Vie de Jesus and Twentynine Palms further challenge filmgoers with the graphic depiction of sexuality, alienation, loneliness, and violence. In Dumont’s world, spoken words do not need to convey his character’s thoughts and emotions because their actions, and lack of actions, do, in existentialist rather than psychological terms.   For more information and a complete schedule, call 305-673-4567 or visit  mbcinema.com.

Performance Art at MOCA
Artist Pablo Cano presents his “Viva Vaudeville”, his 10^th exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami.  “Vaudeville” is a musical marionette fantasy inspired by vaudeville shows from the turn of the century.   The exhibition runs through December 29, Saturday, with performances October 27, at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.  For a complete performance schedule, visit mocanomi.org.

SoBe Chamber Ensemble Turns 10
The South Beach Chamber Ensemble presents its 10th anniversary concert on November 4, 4 p.m., at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. The celebration includes a complimentary concert of great music, including Beethoven’s Cello Sonata in A Major Op. 69, Brahms Violin Sonato in D Minor Op. 108 and Bruch Pieces for Piano Trio Op. 83, with Michael Andrews on cello, Thomas Moore on violin and Ciro Fodore on piano.  The will also be a raffle with luxury items and refreshments.  The concert is free.   The South Beach Chamber Ensemble will also perform November 6, 8 p.m., at Barry University tickets are $15 adults, $10 students and seniors, Barry students and faculty free with school ID.  For more information call 305 673-2183.

Playwright Arthur Miller, the first subject in Palm Beach Dramaworks “Master Playwright Series”

Palm Beach Dramaworks Examines the Work of Great Playwrights
Palm Beach Dramaworks in West Palm Beach launches the “Master Playwright Series” October 29, featuring the work of Edward Albee, Arthur Miller and Henrik Ibsen.  Running through April, the series is scheduled in three segments, devoting two evenings to each playwright.  Scenes from various plays as well as full staged readings will be presented including, All My Sons by Miller, A Doll’s House by Ibsen and Three Tall Women by Albee.  In addition to the readings, the evenings will invite audience participation, discussion and an overview of the work and themes. All performances are free, but space is limited and reservations are necessary.  The “Master Playwright Series,” was developed as part of the Dramaworks’ educational department. Three young theatre artists will participate as directorial assistants for each of the productions. The students will work side by side with a professional director and participate in research and preparation associated with the overview of selected works by the individual playwright.   The first of the three segments will be devoted to Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Arthur Miller.  “The Men of Miller,” a series of scenes from various Miller plays, will be presented on October 29, 7 p.m., followed by a staged reading of  All of My Sons on December 3, 7 p.m..  Tony Award winner All My Sons, written in 1947, centers around the Keller family who is dealing with the turmoil of a son lost in the war and a dreadful crime that has been concealed for years.  For more information, call 561-514-4042 or visit  palmbeachdramaworks.org.

Free Play Reading at GableStage
GableStage Theatre in Coral Gables will a free play reading of Objects in the Mirror… (…are closer than they seem) a solo performance piece for the theatre written and read by Lee Chamberlin, Monday, November 5 at 7:30.  The play addresses the seeming disposability of the world's mounting dead killed by war, indifference to health laws that govern our food supply and urban violence. The play explores the courage with which each of its seven characters copes with loss and the world's disinterest in their dead. Knowing where our dead are buried, how and why they died and reverence for their lives and their deaths are the issues that concern this one-woman play.  The performance will be followed by a talkback with the playwright/performer.  Chamberlin was an original cast member of public broadcasting's ground-breaking learning show, “The Electric Company.” Her movie credits include Uptown Saturday Night and Let's Do It Again. And her TV credits include guest roles on “Judging Amy,” “Touched by an Angel,” “NYPD Blue,” “Lou Grant,” “Roots--The Next Generation” and nearly nine years on the soap opera “All My Children.” For more information, visit gablestage.org.

Author Amy Tan

The Joy of the Big Read
Florida Center for the Book at Broward County Library will launch its Big Read and Big Read for Little Readers programs in celebration of The Joy Luck Club and Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat by Amy Tan with a special kick-off event on Saturday, November 3 at 2 p.m. at North Regional Broward Community College Library, 1100 Coconut Creek Blvd., Coconut Creek . The kick-off event will feature performers, artists, speakers, crafts and activities for children, refreshments and a limited number of both books.  Broward County is one of nearly 200 communities nationwide participating in the Big Read in 2007. From November 1- November 30 the community will celebrate The Joy Luck Club with a full calendar of events including book discussions, film screenings, Mah Jong games and demonstrations, travel seminars, children’s story times and craft activities as well as special events. For more information on The Big Read events, call 954-357-7386 or email tzimmerm@browardlibrary.org, or view a full calendar of events for the Big Read in Broward County at broward.org/library.

Woman Holding a Fruit by Paul Gauguin

Fine Art and Fine Wine
ArtCenter/South Florida (ACSF)  will present two Friday evening Art & Wine lectures, created and conducted by Armando Droulers.  Lectures will be held November 2 and 16, from 7-9 p.m., at the ACSF Gallery at 800 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach. Droulers, hosting the Art & Wine series for the second year in a row, designed the lectures as an alternative and relaxing way to learn about art history and its relationship to wine and spirits. Droulers is an artist, graphic designer, educator and art historian.  He studied Fine Arts at Bard College, Academia de Arte Federico Brandt and Visual Communications Design at the University of Florida.  As an educator, Droulers teaches Art History Drawing and Animation.  The work of Austrian artist Gustav Klimt will be discussed on November 2; French artist Paul Gauguin will be discussed November 16. The programs are $20 per person; member discounts do not apply.  For more information, call 305-674-8278, Extension 15, or visit artcentersf.org.

The musical Rent, which will play Carnival Center Photo: Joan Marcus

Theatre Openings
The Women’s Theatre Project pays tribute to late playwright Wendy Wasserstein with a production of her play, Uncommon Women and Others, which runs through November 18 at Sixth Star Studios located at 505 NW 1^st Avenue, one block west of Andrews Avenue at NW 5^th Street in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The play follows a group of women in college and after.  For info and tickets, call 954-462-2334.  The box office is cash or check only.  The Inside Out Theatre presents their production of Triptych through November 18 at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale auditorium.  The play is about a wife, mistress and daughter and the man who brought them together, who may very well tear them apart.   For more information and tickets call 954-385-3060 or visit insideouttheatre.org.  One of the most popular musicals of al time, Rent, comes to Carnival Center, November 2-4.  A rock version of La Boheme, Rent has become the iconic show of its generation.  carnivalcenter.org.  The M Ensemble Theatre Company in North Miami continues its mission to present the work of August Wilson with Jitney, which runs November 8 through December 16.  Jitney is Wilson’s final play in a career spanning three decades of award-winning dramas, distinguishing him as one of America’s major playwrights.  His plays left a theatre legacy of unprecedented stature highlighting the experiences of being black in America.  Jitney is set in the Hill District of Pittsburgh during the late 1970s in a makeshift cab company which has served the community for nearly 20 years. For more information, visit themensemble.com.

Jazz on the Beach
On Saturday, November 3, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Town of Surfside and the Surfside Tourist Bureau will host the Second Annual Jazz on the Beach concert event. The afternoon of cool jazz and warm family-friendly fun will take place on the beach in Surfside at 95th Street.  The concert will feature performances by South Florida jazz greats such as Miami Jazz Jam with Mike Wood, Le Jazz Hot featuring Fredirico Brito and Eric Bogart, Pan American Project with Carlos Averhoff and Richie Zellon, and CJQ (Contemporary Jazz Quartet). While music fans soak in the world-class jazz from the musicians onstage, families can enjoy food from some of Surfside’s restaurants and cafes. The kids can spend the afternoon in their own Sand Castle Land where they can engage their imagination building the sandcastle of their dreams. The first 500 attendees will  receive a free Surfside Merchant Coupon book. Food and non-alcoholic drinks are available for purchase at the Food Court on the beach, featuring the fare of Surfside restaurants and cafes.

Choreographer Twyla Tharp

Miami City Ballet Receives Grant for Tharp-Costello Premiere
The Annenberg Foundation, which provides funding and support to nonprofit organizations in the United States and globally, has awarded Miami City Ballet its largest funding for a single ballet in the Company’s history: $1 million. The gift will exclusively underwrite a special commissioned work by one of today’s greatest choreographers, Twyla Tharp, danced to a new score by one of the world’s greatest singer-songwriters, Elvis Costello.       This untitled world premiere, set on Miami City Ballet dancers, will be performed at  Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, March 28-30, 2008; Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Palm Beach, April 4-6, 2008; and April 11-13, 2008 at Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale. The ballet will be on Program IV of Miami City Ballet’s 2007-2008 season.  This new work, Miami City Ballet’s first major commission, involves two of the most celebrated and sought-after artists of our time. Twyla Tharp has created some of the most memorable and innovative dances in the modern repertory, including Nine Sinatra Songs, Deuce Coupe, Push Comes to Shove, and In The Upper Room. She has also worked extensively on Broadway and in Hollywood, choreographing and directing the Tony Award-winning dance musical Movin’ Out, set to the music of Billy Joel, and creating the choreography for the movies Hair and Amadeus, among others. This commission is Tharp’s first major new ballet in six years.  For it, she has joined forces with Costello who is providing an original musical composition.  Tharp is creating her ballet on 18 MCB dancers, and Costello’s composition, which features new music intertwined with various motifs and quotations from existing songs, is being written for a nine-piece dance band onstage as well as a 32-piece orchestra in the pit.