Mary Damiano Photo by David Vance

Mary Damiano’s Arts Scene

MiamiARTzine.com celebrated its fourth anniversary Monday October 19 at MuseoVault in Wynwood, and the evening was everything we’d hoped for and more. We were after a classy party with lots guests having a great time, and that’s exactly what we got. We also got the added bonus of a delightfully cool and breezy evening, perfect for an indoor/outdoor affair. More than 200 people attended the celebration, at which we were thrilled to honor five arts leaders with the second annual MiamiARTzine.com Visionary Awards: Ed Bell, Dana Keith, Meredith Lasher, Marcy Lefton and Karen Peterson. Thanks so much to jazz band Sonido Batido, for performed their cool music throughout the evening. Thanks to artist Sid Daniels, who hand-painted and personalized the frame for each award. Thanks to Moonchine for providing the yummy sushi and other food, especially those fabulous egg rolls. Thanks to Rain Vodka for those delicious drinks and for running the bar. Thanks to the volunteers who served our guests with a smile. Thanks to Miami Specialty Cakes for that spectacular anniversary cake, and Stevie Cakes –especially for those red velvet cupcakes. Thanks to Michael Vita who ran the door. Thanks to all of the generous sponsors who donated to our silent auction, and thanks to Cindy Brown for running the silent auction. Thanks to Harvey J. Burstein and the Miami Beach Arts Trust board for putting the party together. And thanks to our readers, who celebrated with us. You made our night. To see lots of photos from the party, visit the three photo galleries in this issue.

Daniella Sforza with the Pointer Sisters, who appeared at the pre-grand opening bash at Prelude by Barton G.

Prelude Opens
It was a roller coaster week for Miami restauranteur and event planner extraordinaire Barton G. His warehouse was consumed by fire Monday night, October 19, and he opened his new restaurant, Prelude, in the Adrienne Arsht Center. Barton was a gracious host at the Wednesday night invitation-only preview dinner, at which guests got to experience the Prelude dining experience. My husband Sam and I got there crazy early—the drive from Wilton Manors was a mind-blowingly fast 35 minutes in rush hour—as we waited we watched Barton’s staff unpack and arrange the reception area furniture. (We were the first two people to relax on the cute, curvy white benches.) Prelude itself is gorgeous, all shades of amber, with reds and oranges. The dining room drips with elegance and ambiance. The food is spectacular, each dish we had at our table was a culinary work of art. The concept at Prelude is that you get a three course meal, but you can mix and match the courses. I got the corn and bacon chowder, a delicious concoction pureed within a quarter inch of its life. I love soup, and this was the best I’d ever tasted. I felt like Meg Ryan in the deli scene in When Harry Met Sally, except I wasn’t faking. My next course was Short Ribs en Croute—the meat melted in my mouth. I eschewed dessert in favor of Goat cheese tortellini, which was sweet and creamy and rich, and could have passed for dessert. Sam got the grilled skirt steak (to die for) and the Nutty for Caramel dessert, which featured the most delicious cinnamon mousse. Our friend Daniella, (seen here with the Pointer Sisters, who entertained the next night at Prelude) got the Quintet of Custard for dessert. It featured five different custards served in an elaborate votive candle holder. That’s the genius of Barton G. We look at a candle holders and think candles; he looks at it and thinks custard. The pre fixe menu is $39, excluding drinks, tax and tip, but it’s worth the splurge. www.preludebybartong.com.

Blues legend Buddy Guy will kick off the new Jazz Roots Series Friday, November 6 at the Adrienne Arsht Center.

Damn Right I Got the Blues
This season’s Jazz Roots Series at the Adrienne Arsht Center kicks off with Jazz Roots: The blues, featuring legendary blues artist Buddy Guy in concert Friday, November 6, at the Knight Concert Hall. Dr. John and his band, the Lower 911, will open for Guy. Renowned for his theatrical guitar showmanship and unrivaled blues style, Guy, an inductee into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame, is considered the greatest living exponent of Chicago electric blues. His unique, wailing guitar sound has influenced virtually every major blues and rock guitarist, including Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton. New Orleans singer/songwriter and pianist Dr. John and his band The Lower 911 open the concert performing their patented version of blues, gospel, funk and jazz. In addition to his unique fusion style, Dr. John is universally recognized for his original blues interpretations of traditional forms of jazz and American classic songs, as well as his elaborate stage shows. “Buddy Guy is one of the titans of the blues, straddling traditional and modern forms, as well as musical generations, and Dr. John is universally celebrated as the living embodiment of the rich musical heritage exclusive to New Orleans,” said M. John Richard, president and CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center. As part of the Arsht Center’s educational outreach program, 150 Miami-Dade public school students will enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience to interact with these acclaimed musicians by attending a sound check and concert as well as learn more about the blues and how this unique American musical genre has influenced jazz, rock, R&B, rap and popular music. Tickets for Jazz Roots: The Blues range from $25 to $125 and can be purchased through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office at 305-949-6722 or online at www.arshtcenter.org.

Play Readings at Arts at St. John’s
Arts at St. John’s will present readings of short plays by local playwrights Monday, November 2, 7 p.m., at St. John’s on the Lake in Miami Beach. Plays will include A Nightmare of a Gift by Jessica Jardine, Home For the Holidays by Barbara Fox, Get Out Now or Try Again, by Dennis Bass and The Back Lot Costume Shoppe by Dee Deringer Piquette. There will be a discussion with the playwrights after the readings. The event is free. For more information, call 305-613-2325 or visit www.artsatstjohns.com.

Actress/director Liv Ullmann

YoungArts Announces Master Classes
Actress and director Liv Ullmann and dancer and choreographer Desmond Richardson will be honored by YoungArts, the core program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA). Richardson will accept the YoungArts Alumni Award and Ullmann will accept the Arison Award at YoungArts’ “An Affair of the Arts” performance and gala, January 16 at the Gusman Center and the Alfred I. DuPont Building. The gala wraps up the annual YoungArts Week, where up to 150 of the most artistically talented high school seniors from across the country converge in Miami for a week of enrichment activities including master classes, performances and exhibitions. This year’s YoungArts Week will be January 12-16, with performances and exhibitions open to the public, every night. Both Richardson and Ullmann will conduct master classes during YoungArts Week. Dates and times of their workshops are to be announced. YoungArts is the signature national organization that recognizes and supports America’s most talented 17-18 year olds in the visual, literary and performing arts. YoungArts is the sole nominating agency for Presidential Scholars in the Arts. The foundation provides emerging artists with financial support and life changing experiences with internationally- renowned artists. YoungArts alumni go on to become leading professionals in their fields. Alumni include Emmy-nominated actress Vanessa Williams, three-time Tony Award nominee Raúl Esparza, star of HBO’s “Entourage” Adrian Grenier and singer Josh Groban. For more information on YoungArts, visit www.youngarts.org.

Music and a Staged Reading
Conundrum Stages and the Tamarac Theatre of the Performing Arts have partnered to present "The Entertaining Evening Combo," and evening of play readings and music on Friday, November 6 at 7 p.m. The evening will begin with a performance by David Meulemans. Pianist Jim Welles will play throughout the evening. The evening will also feature a staged reading of Tribute by Bernard Slade, a play about a former Broadway press agent who decides to spend his final days making up for lost time with his estranged son. Local actors Sheldon Cohen, Linda Ellis, Peter Librach, Danielle Tabino, Wendi Librach, Bill Dobbins and Lory Reyes will do the reading. Admission to "The Entertaining Evening Combo" is $10. The Tamarac Theatre of the Performing Arts is located at 7143 Pine Island Rd., Tamarac. For more information, call 954-726-7898.

Patrick Dupre Quigley, founder of Seraphic Fire

Seraphic Fire Presents "I'll Fly Away: American Gospel and Folk Music"
Seraphic Fire, South Florida's professional choral ensemble, presents “I'll Fly Away: American Gospel and Folk Music,” its annual gospel and folk concerts, November 5-8 at various venues throughout South Florida. From the Appalachian spirituals of the Great Awakening to the folk music of the American frontier, the all-star ensemble explores the fervor, joy and hopefulness of a people rejoicing. The soulful voices of Seraphic Fire's virtuoso performers bring a one-of-a-kind energy to these already rousing numbers. Seraphic Fire will perform “I'll Fly Away: American Gospel and Folk Music” Thursday, November 5, 7:30 p.m., at St. Christopher's by-the Sea, 95 Harbor Dr., Key Biscayne; Friday, November 6, 7:30 p.m., at First United Methodist Church of Coral Gables, 536 Coral Way, Coral Gables; Saturday, November 7, 8 p.m., at All Saints Episcopal Church, 333 Tarpon Dr., Fort Lauderdale; and Sunday, November 8, 4 p.m., at Miami Beach Community Church, 1620 Drexel Ave., Miami Beach. Tickets are $35. For more information, visit www.seraphicfire.org.

A scene from The Walworth Farce Photo: Robert Day

The Walworth Farce Makes a Stop in Miami
If the Three Stooges and Quentin Tarantino had a child, it would probably be The Walworth Farce. That’s the word on this show about madcap and murder, which will play the Adrienne Arsht Center for a limited run, November 4-7. Direct from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and off-Broadway, the award-winning production The Walworth Farce brings murder with a smile. Hilarity and horror meld in The Walworth Farce, written by Enda Walsh, one of Ireland’s hottest young playwrights. The plot, a play within a play, concerns a father and two grown sons who left Ireland and moved to London under mysterious circumstances. The comedy was commissioned the renowned Druid Theater Company. Tickets for The Walworth Farce are $50 and can be purchased through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office at 305-949-6722 or online at www.arshtcenter.org.

Theatre Openings
Alliance Theatre Lab is back with David Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago, about the clash between romance and reality for two 20-somethings in the 1970s. Sexual Perversity in Chicago runs November 5-22 at the Main Street Playhouse, 6766 Main Street, in Miami Lakes. www.thealliancetheatrelab.com. Florida Atlantic University’s department of theatre and dance will present Pulitzer-Prize-winner Horton Foote’s Talking Pictures, Friday, November 6 through Sunday, November 15. Set in 1929, Talking Pictures follows the experiences and decisions of Myra Tolliver, a pianist who makes her living playing the live music for the silent pictures in Harrison, Texas. The arrival of the talking films at the town picture show foreshadows the cataclysmic change around the corner when the Depression hits later that year. Talking Pictures will be presented at the Studio One Theatre on FAU’s Boca Raton campus, 777 Glades Road. Tickets are $16. For more information, call 800-564-9539, or visit www.fauevents.com.

Ricky Waugh and Todd Allen Durkin in Reasons to be Pretty at GableStage. Photo: George Schiavone

GableStage Tries Something New
GableStage Theatre in Coral Gables is known for quality, envelope-pushing work. But it also throws a classy opening night party. For years, opening night audience have gathered at the Biltmore Hotel’s Aragon Room—a great perk of being attached to the historic hotel—for an after-show reception of wine, appetizers, salads and desserts. For the first show of their 2009-2010 season, GableStage tried something new, turning opening night into a fundraiser. The evening featured a pre-show reception at which guests were served skewered chicken, shrimp, beef tenderloin, salmon canapés, and more. After the show, guests were treated to coffee and a delicious array of of treats, including cookies and brownies. There were also Chinese food take-out boxes with fortune cookies, complete with fortunes tailored to GableStage. The amazing thing about this opening night event was that the GableStage board of directors took care of everything, including the cost, and baked the desserts themselves. It was wonderful to see a board roll up their sleeves and immerse themselves so thoroughly in a fundraiser. Reasons to be Pretty by Neil LaBute is the new show at GableStage, and it runs through November 22. www.gablestage.org.


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