Mary Damiano Photo by David Vance

Mary Damiano’s Arts Scene

Bronchitis is a most unwelcome houseguest. It moved in with my husband and I before Thanksgiving and overstayed its welcome. It’s intrusion caused us to miss Art Basel for the second year in a row. Luckily, MiamiARTzine.com had several writers and photographers to report on the scene, both in our new blog, Arts du Jour, and in this issue. Bronchitis couldn’t completely keep me away from the local arts scene, it just meant that I had to stay much more local. So while I had to miss the Basel bachanalia, I did manage to get to a few events, much closer to home, and much more recovery-friendly.

Artist and gallery owner Timothy Leistner with his painting, A Prayer for a Cure, at the “Ribbons for the Children” exhibition at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale

Ribbons for the Children
Art Basel might have been the biggest art event going on, but it certainly wasn’t the only one. I’ve been writing about the annual “Ribbons for the Children” fundraiser for years, but could never attend because of previous commitments. This year I finally made it and was very impressed by this classy and worthwhile event. “Ribbons for the Children” raises money for the Children’s Diagnostic Treatment Center (CDTC), which provides comprehensive prevention, intervention and treatment service to children and youth with special health care needs and their families. They partner with ArtsUnited, an organization of gay and lesbian artists. For this event, 25 ArtsUnited artists created a piece of art inspired by the red AIDS ribbon, and then donated them to the CDTC. The work was exhibited at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale at a reception Saturday, December 6. Each piece was part of a silent auction and all the funds went to the CDTC. Additionally, each original piece was reproduced on note cards and posters, which are for sale at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale gift shop. Several of the artists who donated their work have been featured in the Artist Spotlight right here in MiamiARTzine.com, including Shannon McKenna, Brenda C. Tillit, and Alfred Phillips. It was fascinating to see how each artist incorporated the red ribbon into their work, and how one idea was interpreted 25 different ways. To see more photos from “Ribbons for the Children”, visit the photo gallery in this issue.

Jose Feliciano, onstage at Broward Center with the Miami Pops Orchestra

Pop Goes the Music
When I was a teenager, my friend Deedee and I went to see a Michael Franks concert at Gusman in downtown Miami. I didn’t particularly want to go, even though I loved Franks’ song “Popsicle Toes”, but Deedee explained that if I didn’t go, she couldn’t go. At 16, her mom wouldn’t let her take the car to Miami unless she was with a friend, so I was drafted. About a half an hour into the show, not a single lyric had passed anyone’s lips. I said to Deedee, “Don’t these guys sing?” She glared at me. “Why should they?” she answered. That evening, Deedee made her way from our balcony seats to the front of the theatre, and later talked her way backstage. I think I fell asleep in the balcony—no offense intended to Michael Franks; I can fall asleep anywhere. (I once fell asleep at a Queen concert at the old Hollywood Sportatorium, and I love Queen.)

I’ve never been much for instrumental music beyond soundtracks and movie theme songs—the themes from Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Magnificent Seven make great driving music, to be sure. I always figured that as a writer, I was just drawn more to the words than the music. But I was blown away by the performance of the Miami Pops Orchestra last week at Broward Center. The orchestra played mainly holiday music that showcased original arrangements by saxophonist Ed Calle and director Jose Antonio Molina; some were being performed live for the first time. The holiday music was just the thing to set the mood this time of year, but there was a whole other wow factor that came with the “Miami Pops Overture”, which closed the first act. The music in this piece ran the gamut from frolicsome to sinister, and conjured images of a private movie in my head. For the second act, the Miami Pops Orchestra was joined by the legendary Jose Feliciano and his band. Feliciano was terrific, for the most part keeping with the holiday theme, singing in both English and Spanish, and closing with his iconic “Feliz Navidad”. But what was surprising to me was that I found myself missing the wordless splendor of the Miami Pops Orchestra. This group is a real treasure, filled with local musicians. They also perform as the Florida Symphony. Don’t miss an opportunity to see them.

Members of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus at their recent performance at the Wilton Manors tree lighting ceremony

Making the Yuletide Gay
I say this a lot, probably every year, but it’s still true: it just doesn’t feel like Christmas unless I hear the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus perform. I’ve been following this group for years, and there’s nothing like their holiday concert to set the mood. This year’s concert, “A Gift for All” features a terrific selection of songs, including my favorite, “O Holy Night.” The concert will be performed Wednesday, December 17 through Friday, December 19, at the Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale. For tickets and more info, visit www.ftlgmc.com. Further south, the Miami Gay Men’s Chorus performs their holiday concerts, “Miss Twinkleton's School for Sensitive Boys presents: The Nutcracker: Men In Tights.” The Miami Gay Men’s Chorus likes to go with a storyline for their concerts, and the theme here is that a finishing school for boys presents their version of the timeless ballet. The concert run Friday, December 19 through Sunday, December 21 at the Colony Theatre in South Beach. For tickets and more info, visit www.miamigaychorus.org.

Dan Leonard and Barbara Bradshaw in The Chairs at Palm Beach Dramaworks

Theatre Openings
The South Florida theatre scene is active with openings right up until the end of the year. This week there’s The Chairs at Palm Beach Dramaworks, Ionesco’s absurdist comedy about a couple setting up chairs as they await the arrival of invisible guests. The Chairs runs December 19 through February 1. palmbeachdramaworks.org. Broward Stage Door has the Jerry Herman revue Showtune; it runs December 27 through February 15. www.stagedoortheatre.com. GableStage has a rarity—for them, at least—to close out the year: a musical. Adding Machine is musical adaptation of Elmer Rice's 1923 play, which tells the story of Mr. Zero who, after 25 years of service to his company, is replaced by a mechanical adding machine. And lest you think that GableStage is out of their element with musicals, here’s some food for thought: the last time GableStage did a musical, it took the Carbonell Award for Best Musical of the year, for James Joyce’s The Dead. www.gablestage.org. If you still need a Broadway style fix in 2008, Avenue Q plays Broward Center December 30 to January 11 with all its trash-talking puppets intact; www.browardcenter.org; and those singing Cats will ring in the new year at the Arsht Center December 31 through January 4. www.arshtcenter.org.

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