Mary Damiano Photo by David Vance

Mary Damiano’s Arts Scene

Brian Stokes Mitchell with Mary Damiano in the Green Room of the Knight Concert Hall after his December 12 concert. Photo: Brigitte Andrade

Brian Stokes Mitchell Wows Miami
Tony Award winning actor Brian Stokes Mitchell delighted the audience at the Knight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami with a fabulous performance Saturday, December 12. Mitchell is a charming entertainer with a gorgeous voice, and he wowed his audience in his last concert of 2009. His eclectic repertoire included songs from Broadway shows, including Kiss Me Kate, for which he won his Tony, and Ragtime, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award, as well as “The Waters of March,” a song that Brazilians voted the best song of all time. And even though Mitchell gave a thrilling rendition of my favorite show tune ever, “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha, the most heart-stoppingly beautiful moment of the evening was when he sang “This Nearly Was Mine” from South Pacific without a microphone, showcasing his own immense talent and the impeccable acoustics of the Knight Concert Hall. Later, Mitchell was gracious as he greeted fans in the Green Room, personalizing copies of the book Lights on Broadway, sales of which benefit The Actors’ Fund, of which Mitchell is president.

Billy Crystal

Rent Boys and Billy the Kid
It was a really good week for theatre tours. On Tuesday, December 8, Rent: The Broadway Tour landed at the Fillmore in Miami Beach, which was the perfect venue for the rock musical. It was fun watching original leads Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp and their easy camaraderie onstage. The next night Billy Crystal opened at the Arsht in 700 Sundays, his valentine to his dad and family. Usually one-person shows run 90 minutes to two hours, but Crystal’s show is nearly three hours, and he still managed to leave the audience wanting more. Crystal is an effective storyteller—some passages are pure poetry—but of course, he’s got great material. The man saw his first movie (Shane) sitting on Billie Holiday’s lap, for cryin’ out loud. That’s good stuff.

Nick Duckart and Betsy Graver in Farragut North at GableStage. Photo: George Schiavone

Theatre Openings
There’s plenty of theatre to keep you entertained over the holidays. GableStage in Coral Gables opens the last local production of the year with the southeastern premiere of Farragut North by Beau Willimon. Set against the backdrop of a tight presidential primary race, Farragut North follows a young press secretary as he falls prey to backroom politics, the manipulations of veteran operatives and the wiles of a seductive intern. Farragut North runs December 26 through January 24. www.gablestage.org. If your taste runs toward little spotted dogs, lucky you. 101 Dalmations, starring Rachel York as Cruella De Vil, has a short run at the Arsht Center, December 30 through January 3. You know the story—a woman with an unusual fashion sense will stop at nothing to get fur coat made from Dalmatian pelts. I’m guessing Cruella is not one of PETA’s favorite people. www.arshtcenter.org. Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale opened its doors in 1991 with a real showstopper: The Phantom of the Opera. The musical returned for the venue’s 15th anniversary, and now it’s back for a four-week run. Now the longest running show in Broadway history, Phantom of the Opera is a classic tale of music and obsession. The Andrew Lloyd Webber mesmerizing songs—just try listening to “Music of the Night” and not get chills. If you haven’t seen it, see it. And if you have, see it again. www.browardcenter.org.

Board game, The Forest Ranger Game: In Connection with CCC Camps, 1935

A Tasty “Alphabet Soup”
FIU students consider FDR’s “Alphabet Soup” remedies for the Great Depression, a student-curated exhibition that examines the Roosevelt administration’s New Deal programs. The exhibition, which is free and open to the public, was organized by the Wolfsonian’s chief librarian and FIU adjunct professor of history, Francis X. Luca, and Florida International University students studying the Great Depression and New Deal era in film and history. “Alphabet Soup” is the second student-curated exhibition produced by the Wolfsonian Library and the first to be exhibited at the Green Library. For this exhibition seven FIU undergraduate students worked for more than two months to produce an exhibition of New Deal materials. The project, which grew out of Luca's Fall 2009 course, “America and Movies: The Great Depression and New Deal Era in Film and History,” was drawn from the holdings of the Wolfsonian's library and the Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. Private Collection. “Alphabet Soup” runs through January 5 on the second floor of the Green Library at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus at Florida International University. For more information, visit www.thewolf.fiu.edu.

Miami Contemporary Dance Company dancer Geo Macia as the Dying Swan. Photo: Lucrecia Diaz.

Dancing Toward the Sky
The Miami Contemporary Dance Company is celebrating their 10 anniversary with their presentation of “The Sky's The Limit!” at the Fillmore Live at the Jackie Gleason Theatre on Saturday, January 16. The evening will feature the world premiere of artistic director Ray Sullivan's Bolero as well as excerpts of the company's repertory. MCDC's 2009-10 Season includes a major performance series at The Colony Theater, an educational program for children and adults, community outreach programs, a choreographer's workshop, and an international cultural exchange project with Argentina and Italy. The Company, 12 Dancers strong, the School Faculty and Staff are comprised of a culturally diverse and international team of accomplished dance professionals. VIP tickets for “The Sky’s the Limit!”are $100, and include a cocktail celebration following the performance; other tickets range from $65 to $25. Tickets are available through www.LiveNation.com. For more information about the event, visit www.miamicontemporarydance.net.



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